North Dakota goes over 50,000 in virus tests, 1,700 in cases

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota has gone over 50,000 in the number of tests for the coronavirus and topped 1,700 for the number of people confirmed to have the disease, health officials said Thursday.

Officials said 67 people tested positive in the last day, including 57 in Cass County, the state’s most populous county that has seen marked COVID-19 increases in the last several days. The county saw a record daily high of 69 positive tests reported Wednesday, as part of a targeted screening program.

The Thursday report showed no new statewide deaths, leaving the total at 40, and one new hospitalization, increasing that number to 38. More than 1,000 people have recovered from the disease.

The results from Wednesday included six cases in Cass County, and one each in Burleigh, Montrail, Richland and Williams.

Officials tested 1,366 individuals in the last day, for a total of 50,311, which state officials call one of the top testing rates in the country.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.