Active COVID-19 infections surpass 3,000 for first time in North Dakota

Fargo's Cass County reported the greatest number of new cases with 72 while Bismarck's Burleigh County reported 58 new cases. Dickinson's Stark County added 49 new infections.

Bordering the capital city, Mandan's Morton County, Emmons County and McLean County reported 24, 23 and 20 new cases, respectively. Minot's Ward County added 18 new cases and Williston's Williams County totaled 15 new cases.

Wahpeton's Richland County added eight new cases. Grand Forks County recorded seven new cases, while Logan County and Mercer County tallied six new cases. Adams, Barnes, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Dickey, Dunn, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McIntosh, McKenzie, Mountrail, Pembina, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Rolette, Sargent, Sioux, Stutsman, Traill and Walsh counties each added five or fewer new cases.

The new cases came from a total 6,759 tests, a 5.6% daily positivity rate.

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The department also reported eight new deaths in the state from COVID-19. The deceased were six males and two females in their 80s and 90s, all of whom were from Morton County and suffered from underlying health conditions.

The eight reported deaths were a single-day pandemic-high, though the department attributed the figure to a delay in reporting and stated the individuals all died between one and 13 days ago.

139 of the state's deaths list COVID-19 as the primary cause of death while 53 others list the virus as a secondary cause or are pending death records. The state also reported three individuals who were presumed to have been positive for the virus at the time of their death. The state's death rate for individuals who have become infected is 1.1%.

Active cases rose by 110 to 3,096, a pandemic-high for the state and the first time the figure has risen above 3,000. Statewide, active cases have risen 38% since the beginning of September.

Burleigh County currently leads the state with 570 active cases, representing a 28% increase from last Saturday.

Cass County's active cases rose 33% in the past week from 402 to 536. While the state has kept Cass County's at its "low risk" designation, the county could be a candidate to move to the "moderate risk" designation if numbers continue to move in the wrong direction next week, Gov. Doug Burgum said Tuesday, Sept. 15.

As of Friday, Sept. 18, North Dakota State University reported 119 COVID-19 cases among students and employees with an additional 217 students either in isolation or quarantined in university housing.

Active cases totaled 307 in Stark County Saturday, a 30% rise over the past week. Dickinson State University reported nine active cases and 45 recovered cases as of Friday.

Grand Forks County's active cases decreased for the second consecutive week, dropping 15% to 229. The University of North Dakota reported 59 "current self-reported" faculty, staff and student positives.

Active cases numbered 237 in Morton County, 216 in Ward County and 199 in Williams County. Jamestown's Stutsman County reported 93 active cases Saturday while all other counties totaled 72 or fewer active cases. Three rural counties — Divide, Sheridan and Slope — currently do not have any active cases.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 6,706,374 cases of COVID-19 and 198,099 deaths from the virus.

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