Minnesota launches COVID-19 home saliva test pilot program

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials announced a new at-home saliva test pilot program Thursday that will allow residents in two dozen counties or tribal nations to test themselves for COVID-19. The state reported more than 1,500 new cases of the coronavirus and 20 new deaths. The updated numbers Thursday bring the state’s totals to more than 128,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began and put the state over 2,300 deaths. Neighboring states continue to outpace Minnesota in case growth, with Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota among the top states in new cases per capita over the past two weeks.