Gov. Tim Walz is dialing back social activities as the state faces “exponential” growth of the coronavirus.
More than 1,200 people are hospitalized due to complications from COVID-19 as of Tuesday. According to state data, 90 percent or more or available critical care beds are in use in the entire eastern part of Minnesota. Central and northeastern Minnesota have 11 beds available a piece. Testing volume has grown, but the positivity rate for diagnostic testing has reached 12 percent, far above the 5 percent threshold that indicates a level of control over community spread.
Health care officials are concerned about a shortage of healthcare workers as they, too, deal with illness and fatigue. Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota, said 13 children are hospitalized with COVID-19 and five are intensive care. The community’s actions, he said, directly impact the way healthcare workers at Children are able to treat children with other ailments.
“(Healthcare workers) come in day after day giving their all for patients with COVID but also kids with everything from prematurity to leukemia to congenital heart disease and appendicitis. They need that staff there for them,” Gorelick said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep staff healthy and safe inside our walls. If you support those healthcare heroes and you want to show it, do everything you can to keep them healthy and safe out in the community: wear a mask, wash your hands, watch your distance and follow the rules.”
Dr. George Morris with CentraCare said health care facilities in greater Minnesota are admitting patients at an unprecedented pace.
“Currently at St. Cloud Hospital, which is our largest facility, we’re seeing about one-third of all of our in-patients are COVID or related to COVID illnesses,” Morris said. “This is an astronomical number. We know that that number continues to grow as we see the virus spread through our communities. We’re also seeing, of those in-patients, about one-third of them are requiring critical care, ICU level, those beds that are very key along with the staff that are needed with the expertise to provide that high-level care.”
A handful of states and an even larger number of cities and counties have enacted what’s essentially a curfew, hoping to disrupt places, particularly where young people, who can be asymptomatic spreaders gather, loud environments where people have to speak up to raise their voices, and places where there is prolonged eating and drinking without masks.
“After 9 o’clock, when we contract trace, we’re seeing a doubling, at least a doubling of infections that are happening after 9 o’clock as opposed to earlier in the evening,” Walz said. “This is where human nature, I’ll let some of you decide on how that works, people just get a little more socially lax as the night goes on, especially in settings where alcohol is served. I am not passing a moral judgement. I’m merely stating scientifically where the facts are, and if we’re going to get a handle on this we have to know who is spreading it, where they’re spreading it, and when they’re spreading it.”
Nothing is changing for ceremonies and services like weddings and funerals, but as of Nov. 27, receptions will be capped at 50 people, and to 25 people two weeks later (Dec. 11). By Friday at 10 p.m. private gatherings will be limited to 10 people indoors and outdoors and three households or fewer including the hosts. Bars and restaurants must shut down counter service unless it’s a counter-only establishment. There’s also no dine-in services from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., though they can offer takeout and delivery.
Walz said overall there was “no going back” to a stay at home order, and these changes target the “riskiest areas” based on MDH research and contract tracing.
“We’re doing it with the best data with the best healthcare and we’re appealing to Minnesotans to help their neighbors and break the back of this thing,” he said. “I, certainly, am not asking the police to go into someone’s home on Thanksgiving because they brought in five extra people. What I am asking them is, when you bring in those extra people you’ve exponentially increased the risks this thing goes longer.
“If you want to get through this, if you want to watch football games, if you want to go to the theatre, if you want to play darts in the bar you want to sing karaoke, you want to do all that, then you have to beat the virus first.”