Wednesday, April 8
2:05 p.m.
Governor Tim Walz has announced that he will extend Minnesota's Stay at Home order until May 4.
The order was originally set to expire on April 10.
Bar and restaurant closures have also been extended to May 4.
The extension comes comes after federal guidance. Walz said he's been told by federal officials they are expected to produce millions of antibody tests by the beginning of May.
11:00 a.m.
Despite growing optimism over the impact of social distancing efforts across the state, new numbers released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) underline that the battle against COVID-19 is far from over.
Health officials report that five more Minnesotans have died from complications of the coronavirus, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 39. The number of people who have tested postive for the virus is 1,154, up 85 cases from Tuesday.
Since MDH began compiling numbers Jan. 20, 271 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Currently 135 people are being treated in the hospital. Sixty-four of those patients in the ICU, the same number as Tuesday.
The numbers indicate that more Minnesotans continue to recover from the virus as well, with 632 no longer requiring isolation, up from the 549 reported Tuesday.
The total number of coronavirus tests completed is 30,753, with just over 9,000 of those tests being performed in MDH state labs.
A breakdown of MDH statistics says the median age of all cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Minnesota is 51, with the median age of those dying from the virus at 86. Those hospitalized with coronavirus have a median age of 64.
Although experts have repeatedly said more men will contract COVID-19 than women, the percentages in Minnesota do not reflect that. Females make up 51% of those testing positive, with 49% male.
Tuesday, April 7
4:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump has approved Minnesota's request for a federal disaster declaration related to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a White House statement, "Federal funding is available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Minnesota impacted by COVID-19."
The state can also request additional disaster designations in the future.
4 p.m.
Minnesota's coronavirus infection count surpassed 1,000 Tuesday, as lawmakers paid tribute to first responders and health care workers on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus by passing legislation to ensure they all qualify for workers compensation if they catch it.
The House passed the bill 130-4 and sent it to the Senate, which sent it to Gov. Tim Walz on a unanimous 67-0 vote. The governor told reporters he expected to sign the bill Tuesday night.
RELATED: Walz to extend 'Stay at Home' order
3:15 p.m.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he plans to announce some kind of extension of his "Stay at Home" order on Wednesday, but that his team is working on "refining" the strategy.
"We’ll continue doing a lot of the things we're doing but I think our plan will be much more refined," Walz said on his daily COVID-19 update call with state health officials on Tuesday. "And I think that's what a lot of Minnesotans are asking for. That we did it, we did what we asked, now is there a way that we can do some other things that still keep us moving the right way?"
The governor said they are seeing some "pretty strong indications" that Minnesota is bending the curve and pushing back the peak of coronavirus infections in order to allow time for building up the health care system's capacity.
"I do want people to not have a false sense of security," he said. "But I also want you to take away from this, what we're doing is working. And we have a chance, if we get this right, to avoid the worst of the things that you've seen happen in certain places."
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said that though it appears the peak has been pushed out in Minnesota, we are still "on the early end of our curve."
“We’re likely to see much more rapid increases over the next few weeks here," Malcolm said.
Walz said that he is still "very nervous" about the lack of testing for COVID-19.
Governor Walz said that he is looking for ways to "thread the needle" in the next iteration of the "Stay at Home" mandate, where the state can continue to do the things that are working, while "refining" the strategy.
"I think there’s a Minnesota way to do this, and I think there is a way to save all the lives that we need to save and to have that hospital capacity there while starting to think about ways to get people smartly and focused back into it," he said.
As religious holidays approach this month, Walz said they are looking at ways people can celebrate while adhering to social distancing.
"We simply want to keep the progress we're making going."
Walz also clarified that while the "Stay at Home" order considers faith workers essential, it does not exempt church gatherings.
"I know that there is a sense of fellowship that goes with these," he acknowledged. He said they are looking for creative ways to continue some religious gatherings, including using outdoor spaces and keeping distance among people.
"I would reiterate to people again gathering in large numbers in the church, we simply don’t want that happening," he said.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported Tuesday that there are now 1,069 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. This is up from 986 on Monday.
There have been 34 coronavirus deaths in the state.
MDH says 120 people are hospitalized and 64 are in the ICU. That's up from 115 hospitalized and 57 patients in intensive care on Monday. Two hundred and forty-two people have required hospitalization since the outbreak began.
Of the 1,069 people who have had cases confirmed in Minnesota, 549 no longer need to be isolated as of Tuesday.
More than 29,000 people in Minnesota have been tested for COVID-19, with 8,922 of those in the MDH Public Health Lab and 20,338 in external laboratories.
The median age of all cases is 50, and the median age of people who have died is 86. The youngest person to test positive was 4 months old, and the oldest was 104 years old.
Community transmission is now considered the likely cause of cases, at 35%. The second most likely cause is known exposure to a case, at 25%.
Hennepin County has now had 310 known cases, and 16 deaths. Olmsted County has had 103 cases and two deaths. Ramsey County has had 101 cases and three deaths. A full county-by-county list is available on the MDH website.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what companies in Minnesota are hiring. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is also a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
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