| Evan Frost | MPR News
Nov. 26, 2020 A difficult Thanksgiving for many | |
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Good morning. We can expect cloudy skies with near steady temperatures in the mid-30s throughout most of Minnesota. Find out more from Updraft.
COVID-19 is delivering some especially awful news in a holiday week that’s supposed to be focused on life’s blessings and joys.
Minnesota officials on Wednesday reported 72 more deaths of people with the disease, tying a single-day record set last week. So far this month, 918 deaths have been reported — that’s more than 1 in 4 to date in the pandemic.
Three things to know:Cases growth has leveled off from the past month's exponential growth, and hospital admissions look like they're following suit COVID-19 continues to put Minnesota's hospital capacity under severe strainNo end in sight to skyrocketing death totals Dive deep into the numbers with MPR News data reporter David Montgomery's newsletter Understanding COVID.
With the state averaging a record 52 deaths a day over the past seven days and some 1,800 people still hospitalized with the disease, it could be difficult Thanksgiving in many households.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:
3,375 deaths (72 new) 289,303 positive cases (6,399 new), 240,72 off isolation (83 percent)4 million tests, 2.4 million people tested (about 42 percent of the population)11.5 percent seven-day testing rate (officials find 5 percent concerning) One hopeful sign Wednesday: the rate of positive tests — a key measure officials follow to judge the spread of the disease — is trending downward, although it remains far higher than the 5 percent officials find concerning.
The food relief group Second Harvest Heartland estimates that 1 in 8 Minnesotans, including 20 percent of children, don't know where their next meal is coming from. Gov. Tim Walz said he’s hoping to reach a deal with legislators on a COVID-19 aid package as early as next week.
Walz called on Minnesotans to refrain from gathering over the Thanksgiving holiday to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Minnesota has been seeing record numbers of positive cases and deaths in recent weeks. Minnesotans should take a pause over the holiday and consider the health of their family and neighbors, the governor said.
"The sacrifices you're making are making sure that those overwhelmed emergency rooms and those nurses and doctors are able to protect their family, able to keep working themselves," Walz said.
While Walz and health officials urge Minnesotans to refrain from social gatherings for the next few weeks, you and your loved ones can still “gather” virtually. Here are a few different online activities you can do while staying safe at home.
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-- Matt Mikus, MPR News ( @mikusmatt) |
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