North Dakota’s active COVID-19 cases surpass 1000 for first time – Grand Forks Herald

North Dakota's 1,025 active cases reported July 26 represent the first time the state has reached quadruple-digits in that figure. Last Sunday at this time, the state had 784 active cases. Before mid-July, the state's previous high point for active cases was 671 on May 21.

As of Sunday, Bismarck's Burleigh County leads the state with 249 active cases, marking a 42% increase from last Sunday's total of 175. Cass County, the state's most populous area, has 138 active cases, down 18% from a week ago. Grand Forks County added a dozen active cases over the past week. Statewide, active cases rose 29% in the past week.

The department reported 141 new virus cases in the state Sunday. Of those, 34 were in the Bismarck area of Burleigh County, 29 were in the Fargo area of Cass County and 21 were in Grand Forks County.

Benson County west of Devils Lake added 10 new cases while Mandan's Morton and Minot's Ward counties both reported eight new cases. Dickinson's Stark County recorded seven new infections. Barnes, Emmons, McKenzie, McLean, Mountrail, Pembina, Ramsey, Richland, Sioux, Steele, Stutsman, Wells and Williams counties each added five or fewer new cases.

The state reported 4,718 new tests Sunday. The Department of Health processed an average of 4,511 tests each day over the past week. Five new virus patients have been hospitalized, and 42 are currently hospitalized in the state.

For the third consecutive day, North Dakota deaths attributed to COVID-19 held at 99. Eighty-seven deaths list COVID-19 as the primary cause of death, while 12 others list the virus as a secondary cause.

North Dakota ranks ninth in the nation in per-capita testing, ahead of current hot-spot states Arizona, Florida and Texas, according to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center. The state reports a 4.01% positivity rate among the 146,479 unique individuals tested. John Hopkins reports the state's positivity rate at 6.5%.

The state has recorded the eighth-fewest cases of COVID-19 and sixth-fewest deaths caused by the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationwide, the CDC reports 4,099,310 cases of the virus and 145,013 deaths.

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North Dakota's active COVID-19 cases surpass 1000 for first time - Grand Forks Herald