Monday coronavirus update: 1 additional death, 73 more cases in MN

Mar. 30--An additional person has died and 73 more patients have tested positive for coronavirus in Minnesota -- the highest daily increase in the number of cases so far.

In total, 10 people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota, with eight of them from long-term care facilities.

Confirmed cases have reached 576, double the number from last Wednesday, according to figures released by the Minnesota Department of Health on Monday.

Monday's announcements came during the first weekday since Gov. Tim Walz's "Stay At Home" order took effect, with many people working from home and students throughout the state beginning distance learning.

The governor said Monday that data shows people are staying home. Over the month of March, traffic flow was down 79 percent in the metro and 71 percent in Greater Minnesota.

Walz said he has been talking to governors in states that are harder hit.

"I think as people are watching what's happening, we're trying to use those lessons learned to avoid some of the scenarios where we overrun our health care system, so I hope that you know the time that you're buying us, we're working around the clock," Walz said.

31 LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES HAVE CASES

The person whose death was announced Monday was in their 70s and living in a long-term care facility in Hennepin County.

COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in 31 nursing homes, assisted living, memory care or similar facilities in the state, involving 27 residents and 19 health care workers, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

"We consider even one case in this congregate care setting to trigger an escalated response, so we are counting as an 'outbreak' any facility with even one case and are standing up a very vigorous response," said state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm.

Testing at the Health Department's Public Health lab has focused on health care workers, along with hospitalized patients, and people living or working in long-term care facilities.

There have been 157 confirmed cases in health care workers and "the vast majority of exposures have continued to occur outside the health care setting," said Kris Ehresmann, the state's chief infectious disease epidemiologist. Two cases have been transmitted from patients to health care workers, and several have been health care workers to co-workers, she said.

As part of the "Stay At Home" order, the Minnesota Department of Human Services notified adult care facilities on Sunday that they are to immediately close, which many had already done on their own, according to state officials.

STATE WORKING TO GET MORE EQUIPMENT

Walz said he and other governors talked with President Donald Trump for more than an hour Monday.

"I think it was encouraging for us to hear the president's words over the weekend -- he acknowledged the seriousness of this, he (had) extended what I think ... was an unrealistic expectation that everything would be back to normal by Easter," Walz said. "And (he talked about) a refocused effort on trying to partner with the states to get these critical infrastructure to us."

Do Minnesota's hospitals and workers have enough equipment?

"As of today, yes," Walz said. "The question is, though, ... will they have enough next week or more importantly will they have enough when the peak is there? And at this time they don't yet and that was the reason for pulling down the 'Stay at Home' order, ramping up our procurement, bringing in our partners.

"... The state is not just praying that we get them or hoping that we get them, we are planning and doing the things necessary ... so we will have them when the time comes, but this is one of the leading problems ... especially when it comes to ventilators" and personal protective equipment for front-line workers, Walz continued.

A week and a half ago, Walz said they were expecting a shipment to come in and his team sent him a picture of "a giant warehouse ... and it was one tiny box of 650 pair of gloves. That was not encouraging, but I will say two days later, the warehouse got filled up pretty well."

For people who have masks, face shields, gloves, gowns or hand sanitizer to donate, "every little bit helps," said state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly. The Salvation Army is taking donations of such equipment at their sites in Roseville, Duluth, Moorhead and Rochester, or people can donate to their local emergency manager.

24 IN INTENSIVE CARE

Fifty-six people were hospitalized in Minnesota as of Monday, 17 more than were reported Sunday. Of those hospitalized, 24 are in intensive care.

Among people who tested positive, 260 no longer need to be isolated, according to the state Health Department.

Confirmed cases have been found in people from 4-months to 104-years old in Minnesota, with 45 being the median age.

Just over 1,100 samples were tested Sunday, for a total of 18,822 people. Even with a shortage in testing supplies, Minnesota is testing more people per capita compared with other states, Walz said.

Cases have been reported in 48 of Minnesota's 87 counties -- 190 people have tested positive in Hennepin County, 50 people in Ramsey County, 46 in Dakota County and 34 in Washington County. Itasca, Meeker and Watonawan are the latest counties to identify cases.

"We know that there are more cases in Minnesota and that the virus is circulating widely in our state and that we should assume it is circulating in all communities," Malcolm said.

She also reminded that, as the weather improves, it's also important to maintain social distancing even when outside.

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