BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - November is on track to become North Dakota’s deadliest month from COVID-19, as the number of cases continue to surge in the state that has become among the nation’s hotspots for coronavirus spread.
Health officials confirmed 16 new deaths on Saturday, bringing the statewide death toll from the virus to 834. Data show 268 of the deaths have occurred so far in November, just under the October tally of 285.
More than half of the statewide deaths have occurred in the past few weeks.
Health officials confirmed 1,526 new cases on Saturday.. The state has reported more than 71,540 positive cases of the virus since the pandemic began.
The state reported 296 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday, an increase of seven since Friday..
The COVID Tracking project reported that the state has had 2,470 new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks, which leads the nation.
North Dakota’s death count is the 39th highest per capita in the country.
There were seven staffed Intensive Care Unit beds and 187 inpatient beds available at hospitals in the state, as of Friday.
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