 | Courtesy of Sanford Health
July 16, 2020
‘We are at a worrisome point’: Minnesota health leaders urge families to plan as coronavirus cases rise | |
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Good morning. Welcome to your Thursday update, a less happy and more immediate one than yesterday’s. First, weather.
Sunny and warm. Twin cities highs in the mid-80s with 10 to 15 mph winds. Winds calm at night as temps get down to the upper 60s. Statewide highs in the 80s with evening lows from the mid-50s to mid-60s. More on Updraft | Forecast
"We are, in fact, at a worrisome point.” That was the state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield’s take on Minnesota’s two-week trend in daily case counts, which have rapidly increased and will lead to more deaths "This really is a moment for all of us to take a step back and think about what we can do to slow transmission."
Minnesota health officials are emphasizing personal responsibility, saying we all must do more to stop the virus’ spread. “ Other states and other countries are doing better than us. That should be an inspiration for us to try to work harder,” Lynfield said.
Families are also encourage to make arrangements in accordance with the COVID-19 case increase. Health leaders say they should make arrangements for young children’s care in the case parents or other caregivers get sick as the virus’s spread picks up. Among those plans: pulling together kids’ medical records, educational needs and their other routines. The Health Department has posted “make a plan” guidance on its website.
A top doctor’s advice is that we must do the basics: wear masks, wash hands and socially distance. “We know that people are sick and tired of precautions and hearing about precautions” but people shouldn’t let down their guard, Lynfield said. “The virus is out there. We want to be able to live in a pandemic as best we can.” Even in a best-case scenario for a vaccine, she said the virus will be with us for a long time. Until there’s a vaccine, she said, “it is really up to us to make the choice to limit the spread.”
Here are the latest coronavirus statistics:
- 43,742 cases confirmed (578 new) via 790,497 tests
- 1,518 deaths (8 new)
- 4,495 cases requiring hospitalization
- 254 people remain hospitalized; 106 in intensive care
- 38,179 patients no longer requiring isolation
Onto George Floyd news…
George Floyd didn’t make any aggressive actions against Minneapolis police before they arrested and killed him, according to newly released body cam footage. MPR News reporter Jon Collins viewed the footage shortly after its release yesterday and writes that Floyd “was visibly distraught throughout the encounter. But he peppered his language with pleas to the officers that he didn’t mean them any harm . Floyd said the word ‘please’ more than 50 times during his interaction with the officers, according to the transcript of Lane’s body camera footage.” For more of what Jon saw in the video and how it adds to the picture of what happened that night in late May, check out his story.
Floyd’s family has sued the city of Minneapolis and the four officers charged in his killing. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, alleges that the former cops violated Floyd’s civil rights in the restraint they put on him and that the city “allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force,” the AP reports.
— Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson |
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