Minnesota tops 10,000 coronavirus deaths

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota has topped 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths while hospitals around the state continue to delay surgeries as the coronavirus patients crowd hospitals.

The state Department of Health on Wednesday reported 54 new deaths due to the virus, lifting the total fatalities to 10,018 since the start of the pandemic. Another 124 deaths were likely because of COVID-19 but weren’t confirmed by testing.

A pandemic wave caused by a fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus this fall hastened the toll. It took 187 days from March to September to increase from 7,000 to 8,000 deaths, 58 days to reach 9,000 and 39 days to reach 10,000.

Meanwhile, doctors say hospitals have deferred procedures to free up beds, leaving some patients in prolonged pain.