COVID-19 hospitalizations dip below 100 in North Dakota

N.D.— The number of hospitalizations due to complications from the coronavirus has dipped below 100 for the first time in more than three months, North Dakota health officials said Wednesday.

The number of people receiving treatment in medical facilities dropped by 19 in the last day, for a total of 96. The hospitalizations were last in double figures on Sept. 24 and topped 300 for more than a week in mid-November.

The state’s hospital tracker shows there were 31 staffed intensive care unit beds and 327 staffed inpatient beds available throughout North Dakota as of Tuesday.

The update showed 375 new COVID-19 cases in the last day, out of 8,944 tests. That’s a positivity rate of 4.74%.

“We’re hopeful that the percent positivity, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline, but we are not relaxing especially as cases around the country continue to be high and with the holidays in play,” said Nicole Peske, state Health Department spokeswoman.

The COVID Tracking Project reports that the rolling average number of daily new cases in North Dakota has decreased by nearly 73% over the past two weeks.

A total of 92,201 people have tested positive since the start of the pandemic. Six deaths were confirmed in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of fatalities to 1,282