At his daily COVID-19 briefing this afternoon, Governor Burgum said a sixth patient has passed away from the novel coronavirus.
He says details on the person who died will be released with tomorrow's test result numbers.
He says he realizes there may be some in North Dakota who worry about the state being prepared for a rush in COVID-19 patients. But he says his teams are working tirelessly to improve hospital capacity in the event of a surge.
"The key of all the things we are doing, and what every state is doing, is to make sure that the sum total of all the business closures, the physical distancing, and hygiene practices, all the approaches are done with the goal of preserving and making sure we have enough hospital capacity to give the highest level of care."
As of today, only 14 patients with the virus are utilizing hospital beds in the state. Burgum says they account for less than 1 percent of the 2,600 beds currently out there.
