Thursday, June 11
- MDH-identified "wave pattern" appears to continue in Minnesota COVID-19 cases, with days of decline followed by increase
- Gov. Tim Walz plans to extend peacetime emergency, calls special session for Friday
- Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan test negative for COVID-19
- COVID-19 hospitalizations lowest in weeks
- Restaurants return to indoor dining as phase 3 begins
11 a.m.
After a short downward trend in new COVID-19 cases, Minnesota saw its second day in a row of increased positive tests.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 453 new cases on Thursday, and 13 additional coronavirus-related deaths. That brings the total number of cases in the state to 29,316 and the total number of deaths to 1,249. Nine hundred ninety-four of those deaths were in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The downward trend and then upward spike in cases is in line with a "wave pattern" that MDH has identified in recent weeks.
When MDH reported Wednesday's case increase, Commissioner Jan Malcolm said on a daily briefing call, "It does kind of continue that pattern that we've talked about before of a number of days of decline several times now, followed by an uptick for a day or two, back up into higher case numbers, so that is continuing here."
Those 453 new cases were identified out of a batch of 12,071 tests performed on June 10. The number of tests completed statewide since the pandemic began is now at 381,841.
Hospitalizations continue to be steady or slightly declining, with 411 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of Thursday, and 196 in the ICU.
Hennepin County, which has by far the most cases in the state, is now at 9,815 cases and 700 deaths. Ramsey County follows with 3,740 cases and 169 deaths.
Wednesday, June 10
3:30 p.m.
Gov. Tim Walz is planning to extend the state's COVID-19 peacetime emergency for an additional 30 days, and will call the Minnesota Legislature into a special session starting at noon on Friday, June 12.
The current peacetime emergency expires Friday, but Walz said the emergency powers are necessary to quickly respond to the pandemic. Minnesota law requires the legislature to be in session in order for the governor to extend a peacetime emergency order. The legislature does have the power to end the peacetime emergency with a majority vote by both houses.
As part of the special session, the governor is also asking the legislature to address his bonding proposal, a jobs plan, and economic assistance for businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Walz also noted Minnesota entered "phase three" of its reopening plan on Wednesday. The eased restrictions now allow larger gatherings and additional business reopenings, which includes resuming limited indoor dining.
"We turned the dial as the data seems to support that," Walz said. "The pandemic is far from over. It's in a new phase."
The governor noted 19 other states are seeing coronavirus cases climbing sharply after reopening, while Minnesota is not currently in that situation. Data released by the Minnesota Department of Health shows the average number of COVID-19 cases in the state have been declining in recent days, though Wednesday's figures did show a small one-day increase.
Gov. Walz encouraged those who recently attended protests and gatherings in the George Floyd case to seek a coronavirus test. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said they were both tested recently and received negative results for COVID-19.
2 p.m.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm says current coronavirus case counts and case positivity rates remain below levels seen in the state in late May, but she cautioned the numbers do not yet reflect potential impacts from reopening more businesses, as well as potential spread among people participating in recent demonstrations and gatherings following the death of George Floyd.
Malcolm noted Wednesday marks the beginning of "phase three" for reopening businesses and easing restrictions on gatherings in Minnesota.
"The work in recent weeks has left us in better position to turn the dials," Malcolm said. "For this reopening to work ... it's very important that each of us do our individual part to prevent the spread."
The commissioner emphasized that face coverings are still strongly encouraged in public gatherings, practice social distancing of six feet or more, wash hands, and work from home when possible.
"We don't know what the future shape of the curve will be," Malcolm said. "We really need to figure out how to live with this ... What we're doing is accepting a certain level of risk."
Malcolm also addressed testing availability for those involved in recent protests and gatherings. Four community testing sites were opened in Minneapolis and St. Paul, with more than 1,100 tests conducted at those locations on Tuesday. Malcolm encouraged people interested in testing at these locations to sign up for an appointment on the MDH website, as the testing locations have limited capacity for walk-in visits. All appointments for Wednesday were filled, but additional dates are planned for June 16, 17, 23, and 24. The goal is to get results within 72 hours. Those who test positive will receive a phone call reporting those results to them, while those who test negative will receive an email or text message.
Malcolm noted COVID-related hospitalizations have been declining recently, but non-COVID hospital uses have increased as restrictions have been eased on elective surgeries and procedures. MDH is also monitoring ICU capacity: the department's response dashboard shows 1,075 ICU beds currently in use, out of a total capacity of 1,255 in the state. Of those ICU cases, 193 are COVID patients according to the daily numbers.
While case numbers have declined in recent weeks, MDH officials say it's too early to determine if Minnesota has reached the peak of coronavirus cases. Malcolm said the state's preparations, including extra hospital beds that have gone unused thus far, remain necessary.
"It's too early to say, have we peaked ... and did we over-prepare," Malcolm said. "It's possible we could see the pattern shift again and the cases start to grow."
Health officials said there's also a possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19 in the winter, which could present additional challenges.
"We have been responding to COVID post-influenza, so we didn't have a concurrent influenza outbreak," said MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann. "(That) will put a greater demand on our surge capacity for health care."
Health officials said they continue to work with Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota on increased serological testing, which can show if a patient previously had COVID-19 and now has antibodies to fight the illness.
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 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.