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North Dakota reports most weekly virus deaths since January

BISMARCK (AP) — Coronavirus-related deaths are mounting in North Dakota as COVID-19 cases spike due to the highly contagious delta variant.

The state Health Department’s virus dashboard on Friday showed four more deaths, and the ninth this week.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the deaths are the most in one week since late January.

The new deaths brought North Dakota’s pandemic toll to 1,560.

Health officials on Friday confirmed 289 new COVID-19 cases. State officials calculated a positivity rate of 6.15%. The 14-day rolling average test positivity rate rose to 6.26%; the state’s target is less than 5%. That rate has been rising for more than five weeks and is now on par with the level last year at this time.

There were 2,043 active COVID-19 cases in the state on Friday, the fifth-straight day of an increase. One month ago there were fewer than 300 active cases statewide.

Sixty-two COVID-19 patients remained in a hospital Friday, unchanged from the previous day. Health officials say unvaccinated people make up the bulk of hospitalized virus patients.

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