Good morning and happy Saturday. Here’s a quick forecast and your coronavirus briefing for the day.
Spots of rain Saturday. The Twin Cities get cloudier as the day goes on with a chance of afternoon rain, highs in the upper 50s and winds of 10 to 15 mph. Statewide, partly sunny with afternoon rain in the west. Northern highs near 50; near 60 in the south. More on Updraft. | Forecast
Whether getting infected with COVID-19 helps with immunity “is one of the big unanswered questions that we have.” That’s according to Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, "because it really says, 'What is the full exit strategy to this and how long are we going to be contending with it?'" Scientists still don’t know what type of protection antibodies offer. These proteins found in the blood are part of the immune system’s response to infections and, as NPR reports, they are a sign people could be developing immunity. However, there’s no evidence yet that COVID-19 antibodies offer protection for even a year, let alone a lifetime. In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz says “this thing is going to be with us” for a while. At least until there are “really good therapeutics,” herd immunity (the possibility of which is questionable) or a vaccine. The governor’s pronouncement came as Minnesota’s confirmed case count passed 10,000 and he said the fight against the coronavirus will last well past the May 18 expiration of his stay-at-home order. Here are the latest coronavirus statistics: 10,088 confirmed cases via 101,270 tests 534 deaths 1,549 cases requiring hospitalization 473 people remain hospitalized; 198 in intensive care 5,697 patients recovered The state has plans to buy a COVID-19 morgue if needed. Documents show Minnesota is prepared to spend up to $7 million to purchase a cold-storage facility to house bodies. Most of the deaths so far have been in Hennepin County, which has had 362.
It’s official: No in-person graduation ceremonies. New guidelines say schools can’t host large, in-person gatherings and that students, parents and staff should stay home as possible. “Right now, we are definitely saying that the safest way to observe graduation and commencement is for everyone to stay home and to create a virtual ceremony for everyone with equity and access in mind,” Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker said.
The coronavirus may be foreshadowing the streets and public life of the future. Once the world starts reopening, social distancing could be here to stay. That could mean fewer cars on the streets and fewer people in stores and restaurants. NPR reports on what the post-pandemic world could look like.
And there are some guidelines for what school might look like when in-person learning is back on. Suggestions for education officials include waiting until the number of new COVID-19 cases have declined in an area for 14 consecutive days. Other ideas: masks, reduced contacts and new cleaning and sanitizing routines. At least one Minnesota district has already installed plexiglass sneeze guards and is considering lunch in classrooms rather than the cafeteria.
— Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson | 