![]() Minnesota’s ability to ramp up capacity is based largely on research and know-how at Mayo’s large national reference laboratory, which has already conducted 120,000 molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19 nationwide, and at the U. He also planned for additional testing data to be publicized on the state’s COVID-19 web page. Walz said he would hold himself personally accountable for any future backlogs in testing for people who need it. “You can get the care today, but you can’t get the tests today, and that’s what’s going to change,” said Andrea Walsh, president and CEO of HealthPartners. Supplies at the state public health lab quickly ran out, though, of everything from chemical reagents needed for the test, to cotton swabs to collect nasal or throat samples for patients, to the liquid used to transport the samples to labs.Īs a result, priority for the limited testing has been given to health care providers, patients already in the hospital and people living in long-term care facilities. ![]() Minnesota tried an open-ended testing approach in early March after the first cases were detected in the state, and President Donald Trump issued assurances that anyone in the U.S. “This is not going to get over with anytime soon … This virus will not rest until at least 60 to 70% of our population has either been infected, and then hopefully developed immunity, or we have a vaccine.” ![]() “It’s very important they understand we are in the very first innings of this game,” he said. ![]() Increased testing will no doubt find many more cases, given that only an estimated 5% of the state has been infected by the coronavirus so far, said Michael Osterholm, director of the U’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Interviews have found most of the people infected in that county are plant workers or their relatives. State officials also continued to assess the damage of an outbreak in Nobles County that has caused 126 confirmed infections and one death, and resulted in the temporary shutdown of the JBS pork plant in Worthington. The total positive COVID-19 case count of 2,721 so far is based on 49,344 tests by the state public health lab and private labs such as Mayo. The toll has been particularly harsh for long-term care facility residents, who make up 129 of the state’s 179 deaths. The testing news came on a somber day for Minnesota, which set single-day records with 19 deaths and 154 newly lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Our job is to build this system to make it happen.” ![]() “We’re standing behind the health care systems to assure if they collect those samples, they’ll get processed,” said Malcolm, adding that the department is telling all doctors to “ ‘test every symptomatic person.’ That is your job as the health care system. The department was set to issue a health action alert to all doctors in the state, lifting previous testing restrictions and telling them to at least collect the nasal or throat swab samples for testing from patients with suspicious symptoms. While it might take a couple of weeks to reach full capacity, the state already has the ability to test as many as 8,000 samples per day now that its public, private and hospital labs are coordinating efforts, said Jan Malcolm, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. “We are smothering this issue of testing with talent, I would argue, better than any place on this planet,” he said. Standing with leaders of Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota and HealthPartners, the governor said that this $36 million agreement will result in the most aggressive COVID-19 testing program in the nation and allow for the diagnostic testing of as many as 20,000 samples per day - beyond the 5,000 per day that he had said was necessary. Tim Walz unveiled his much-anticipated “moon shot” testing strategy on Wednesday so that Minnesota can fully track the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused 179 deaths in the state, and diagnose all cases of people with the infectious illness. ![]()
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