April 16, 2020
Sunny and warmer Friday. It’ll be a good start to the weekend. Tomorrow will be sunny and warmer, with highs in the mid-40s to lower 50s across Minnesota. Northwestern Minnesota could see some scattered rain showers Friday night. This weekend, spring warmth near the 60s is waiting for us. COVID-19 in Minnesota today: 7 new deaths, 200+ people in hospital. Minnesota health officials have confirmed 1,912 positive cases via 41,675 tests as of Thursday. More than half have been recovered, while 103 people are in intensive care units. 10K in a day? U of M says they can soon do 10K daily COVID-19 tests. University of Minnesota experts say with $20 million in state funding, they could soon begin testing up to 10,000 people per day for the coronavirus and another 10,000 per day for the presence of antibodies. That could provide a huge boost to Minnesota’s efforts to slowly reopen the economy. So officials, experts are talking about the antibody testing. But what is that? An antibody test can show whether you have been infected with and recovered from the coronavirus. Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota have both launched antibody tests in recent days. Those antibody tests may provide insight into how widespread the virus is, and how long it’s been here. Learn more about the testing method here. You already probably know why social distancing is important. This NYTimes 3D visualization clears up any lingering questions. Have you received the $1,200 stimulus check? How will you use the money? Those $1,200 federal payments to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis have started arriving in some people's bank accounts. How are you planning to use the stimulus money? Share your thoughts with us here and help inform the story we will have for you tomorrow. — Jiwon Choi, MPR News | 