COVID+ Test Rates Top 25% In Multiple Midwest States

Reuters reports:

The number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 is topping 25% in several states in the U.S. Midwest as cases and hospitalizations also surge in the region, according to a Reuters analysis. North Dakota’s positive test rate has averaged 30% over the past seven days compared with 6% the prior week. The positivity rate has risen to 26% in South Dakota, up from 17% the previous week, according to the analysis using testing data from The COVID Tracking Project.

At the same time that positive test rates are climbing in the Midwest, cases and hospitalizations are setting records in those states. In the past week, seven states in the Midwest and western region have reported record one-day rises in new infections – Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Wisconsin set records for new cases twice last week and is now reporting more new infections each day than Florida. South Dakota set records for new cases three times last week.