Minnesota in a 'vulnerable state' as case counts soar
Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday update.
Another nice day. Twin Cities will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid-80s and evening lows around 60. Statewide, more sun with highs in the 70s in the northeast to mid-80s in the southwest. More on Updraft | Forecast
If Minnesotans don't stay vigilant against the coronavirus, we could end up like Florida or the other states struggling to control outbreaks. Compliance with the mask order is critical, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said. “We do feel like we’re in sort of a vulnerable state. But we feel like if Minnesotans can understand the importance of complying with the guidance that is out there and the current executive orders, we can impact these rates within a few weeks.”
While the death toll stayed in the single digits again yesterday, case counts keep quickly climbing. Health officials are increasingly concerned about the rise in community spread of COVID-19. “There could be a time when we do need to dial back if the things that we’re seeing continue to go in an unfavorable manner," said Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director.
51,803 cases confirmed (650 new) via 970,726 tests
1,576 deaths (2 new)
4,961 cases requiring hospitalization
257 people remain hospitalized; 126 in intensive care
45,198 patients no longer requiring isolation
Congressional Republicans have introduced another bill intended to help people financially amid the pandemic. They called it the "HEALS Act." Democrats say it's not enough help, with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, calling the unemployment assistance proposal "a punch in the gut and a slap in the face " to those without jobs.
The proposal would not continue the $600 in weekly federal benefits that have helped many people make ends meet in recent months. While the proposal would give many individuals another $1,200 stimulus check, the weekly supplemental payment would drop to $200 a week through September and then be replaced by an amount equal to 70 percent of a person's lost wages..
CARES Act benefits end in days and Congress will go on recess early next month. That leaves our elected officials with two weeks to negotiate and send a bill to the president's desk before they break on Aug. 7.
In potentially brighter news, the world's biggest coronavirus vaccine study started yesterday. The first of 30,000 volunteers were injected with either a placebo or a real shot of the experimental vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. There's no guarantee this vaccine will work, but it's one fof a few others in their final stages of testing.
