COVID Hospitalization data change draws questions from lawmakers
Good morning.
There's a slight chance of showers far in the northeast, but otherwise mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s to lower 70s throughout Minnesota, except in the 50s in the arrowhead. Updraft
On Sept. 24, the Health Department’s daily COVID-19 update stopped reporting the number of Minnesotans currently hospitalized with the disease, and in intensive care units, which it had shared every day since early in the pandemic.
Now 26 Republican members of the state Senate have sent a letter to Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm asking her to resume sharing data on current hospitalization rates.
The old stats on hospital occupancy captured several different aspects of COVID-19. When occupancy numbers went down, that could reflect a combination of fewer new admissions, more patients being discharged, and more patients dying. The new data only captures changes in admissions, and not how long patients are hospitalized.
And if the example in Eastern Carver County is any indication, the process of dismantling barriers between students and the education opportunities they’re entitled to is often fraught with pushback, tension and stalled efforts. Read more from MPR News reporter Riham Feshir.
