Good morning. Enjoy the warm weather now, because the temperatures are going to be a lot lower next week. For Wendesday, Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s north, to lower 80s south and a chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday night. More on Updraft
“Surge” and “trending up” aren’t the words anyone hopes to hear seven months into a pandemic, but they are apt descriptions for much of Minnesota’s COVID-19 data the past few days.
Some 2,200 cases were reported over the weekend with another 900 on Monday. By Tuesday, the state showed 6,610 active, confirmed cases, down slightly from Monday’s pandemic record but still significantly higher than the current seven-day average of 5,901.
“We have seen a high count of new cases in recent days” that can’t be attributed to a testing results backlog Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director, told reporters Monday. “It’s not a record that we’re pleased about.”
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:
- 1,979 deaths
- 91,422 positive cases, 82,833 off isolation
- 290 still hospitalized, 136 in ICUs
- 1,863,694 tests, 1,317,433 people tested
Until this week, getting tested for COVID-19 in Minnesota has meant a bit of discomfort. Most tests statewide are conducted by a PPE-clad medical professional, swabbing a sample from deep in a patient’s nose or far in the back of their throat. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not comfortable.
But starting Wednesday, Minnesota residents can be tested by spitting into a tube. Health officials are opening the state's first COVID-19 saliva testing site in Duluth. It’s the first of 10 sites planned to open across Minnesota. Together, they'll more than double the state’s ability to test people for the coronavirus.
- APMG president to step down amid calls for racial and gender equity Jon McTaggart’s decision comes on the same day a group of MPR and APM employees wrote an open letter to listeners and audiences describing a lack of faith in senior leaders. It said the company has “fostered a harmful working environment for women and journalists of color” over its 53-year history.
~Matt Mikus, MPR News @mikusmatt
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