North Dakota adds 134 cases behind record-breaking testing

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Department of Health announced Saturday, Aug. 1, that 134 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19. No additional deaths were reported by the department.

A day removed from an all-time high 168 new cases, the department announced 6,046 tests conducted Friday, the most the state has done since the pandemic began, yielding a 2.2% positivity rate.

Newly recovered individuals rose by 107, bringing the active cases count up by 26. The state is now reporting 1,103 active cases, with 103 deaths. A total of 6,602 people have contracted the COVID-19 virus.

Burleigh County continues its high case count, with another 28 new cases, while Cass County reported an additional 21. Burleigh County, home to the Bismarck-Mandan area, remains the current state hot spot with 286 active cases, while Cass County, home to the Fargo area, which has had over 2,900 total cases, has 136 active cases.

This week has seen plenty of new changes and revelations. On Tuesday, a woman in her 20s with no underlying conditions became the state’s 100th victim and youngest person to die from the virus, while the state created a new task force to try and contain the coronavirus outbreak in the Burleigh-Morton County area. The task force resembles the same group put together to assess the Fargo outbreak, an area that has seen 76 people die from a disease that has claimed more than 150,000 lives nationwide.

In addition, in a press conference Wednesday, director of Burleigh-Bismarck Public Health Renae Moch said the outbreak in Bismarck is partly attributed to Fourth of July celebrations, where large gatherings took place.

Free testing has become available throughout the state, with Bismarck holding testing this past Wednesday and Friday.

Seven new cases were reported in Morton County, while Benson, Bottineau and Williams counties all reported six new cases.

Of the active cases, 123 come from either residents or staff within long-term care facilities and nursing homes. Golden Acres Manor in Carrington, N.D., has five active cases among staff, and two among residents. Missouri Slope is Bismarck is currently reporting four cases among staff, and three among residents, according to the department. Sixty-five of the state's deaths have come from nursing homes.

Forty-five people remain hospitalized, down two from Thursday. Of the 153,964 unique tests, 149,583 have come back negative.

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