Wednesday Sept. 23
- COVID-19 hospitalizations up in Minnesota
- MDH weighs in on safe Halloween guidance this year
- State medical director warns of MIS-C cases in Minnesota children
- Travel advisory issued in Winona County, Minnesota due to COVID outbreak in La Crosse County, Wisconsin
2 p.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is offering guidelines for a safe celebration of Halloween this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
MDH officials held a regular briefing call with the media Wednesday, with speakers including Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann and Medical Director Dr. Ruth Lynfield.
Ehresmann shared the CDC's guidance for Halloween, emphasizing that traditional Halloween activities are not necessarily safe but that there are alternatives that people can consider this year.
"The guidance from CDC is really not a 'do this' or 'don't do this' variety," Ehresmann said. "They break holiday activities out by risk category."
The CDC's low-risk activities include carving pumpkins, being outside at a safe distance with neighbors or friends, decorating your living space, or a scavenger hunt for children.
Moderate-risk activities include one-way trick-or-treating, where people leave out individually wrapped goodie bags. Ehresmann said health officials ask that if people are preparing those bags, they wash their hands for 20 seconds first. A socially distanced outdoor gathering would also be considered moderate risk.
High-risk activities include traditional trick-or-treating and crowded costume parties, Ehresmann said.
The full guidelines can be found on the CDC's website.
"Man, I feel like the public health buzzkill," Ehresmann said. However, she pointed out that the virus is the true "buzzkill" - not public health guidance.
In her update Wednesday, Ehresmann also reported that 33 COVID-19 cases have been linked to a Sept. 9 funeral in Martin County, where 150 to 200 people attended. She said many did not observe social distancing, and the group attended both a service at a church, and a lunch at a private residence. MDH expects more cases to be identified from that outbreak.
Ehresmann also said that 17 additional cases have been linked to that specific church.
Dr. Ruth Lynfield, MDH's medical director, said that 25 Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) cases in Minnesota children have been reported to MDH. The severe syndrome is believed to be related to SARS-CoV-2.
"None of these children are currently hospitalized and fortunately we have not had any deaths due to MIS-C in Minnesota," Lynfield said, although some have been hospitalized.
There is a large disparity in the numbers of children affected, according to Lynfield, with 76% of Minnesota's cases impacting Black and Hispanic children.
Although MIS-C is rare, Lynfield said it is important for parents to seek medical care if their child has a fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rash, red eyes or excessive fatigue.
"This is especially important if their child is known to have had COVID-19 or to have been exposed to someone with COVID-19," she said.
With cases surging in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Minnesota's Winona County across the border has issued a travel advisory. MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm pointed out that this demonstrates why a state-by-state strategy doesn't necessarily work.
"What happens in other states certainly does affect other states," Malcolm said.
Ehresmann added that they don't have numbers yet from community testing in Winona, but officials are worried about the transmission between states.
"We see transmission going both ways, and when you have communities that are so connected, it makes a difference regardless of the state line," she said. "The virus doesn't care where the state line is. The virus cares where people are gathering together."
Ehresmann pointed out that if someone is driving across the border for work and wearing a mask, that's not the highest risk activity. The issue is with people gathering.
11 a.m.
New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are up Wednesday following a dip Tuesday, according to numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
MDH reported 690 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and six deaths. This brings the cumulative case count to 92,100 and a total of 1,985 deaths. Of those deaths, 1,433 were in long-term care facilities.
There are now 303 patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus in Minnesota, which is up from 290 patients on Tuesday, and 148 of them are being treated in the ICU.
People between the ages of 20 and 24 make up Minnesota's largest grouping of COVID cases with 12,659 cases and a single death, followed by those 25 to 29 with 9,121 cases and three deaths. The age group between 15 and 19 accounts for 8,737 cases and zero deaths.
The largest number of deaths involve people between the ages of 85 and 89. That demographic has recorded 338 deaths in just 1,236 cases.
Hennepin County has the most coronavirus activity in the state with 26,264 cases and 926 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,635 cases and 318 fatalities. Dakota Country reports 7,280 cases and 125 deaths since the pandemic began.
Tuesday, Sept. 22
- New cases drop to 513, deaths and hospitalizations up
- MSHSL moves football, volleyball back to fall
- MDH doing free testing in Grand Rapids, Pine City and Waseca starting Sept. 21
- Five more counties show case rates high enough for 'full distance learning' recommendation
New cases of COVID-19 are down, but both deaths and hospitalizations jumped, according to numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Tuesday.
Ten Minnesotans died of coronavirus in the most recent 24-hour reporting period, pushing total fatalities in the state to 1,979 since the onset of the pandemic. Of those deaths 1,430, or 72% of them, occurred in assisted living or long-term care settings.
MDH reported 513 new cases of the virus, pushing to 91,422 the number of state residents who have tested positive. Those new cases are based on the results of 9,415 tests performed in private labs and reported in the past day, a relatively low volume.
Currently there are 290 people being treated for coronavirus in Minnesota hospitals, 136 of them with symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU. Health officials say 82,833 people who at one time tested positive for the virus have now recovered enough to no longer require isolation.
People between the ages of 20 and 24 make up Minnesota's largest grouping of COVID cases with 12,569 cases and a single death, followed by those 25 to 29 with 9,046 cases and three deaths. The age group between 15 and 19 accounts for 8,676 cases and zero deaths.
The largest number of deaths involve people between the ages of 85 and 89. That demographic has recorded 337 deaths in just 1,228 cases, meaning 27% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 have perished from it.
Hennepin County has the most coronavirus activity in the state with 26,147 cases and 923 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,595 cases and 318 fatalities. Dakota Country reports 7,250 cases and 125 deaths since the pandemic began.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota has the least COVID activity with just six confirmed cases, none of them fatal.
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 businesses are open as the state slowly lifts restrictions. 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 data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
