StarTribune: Minnesota to get 25 staffed ambulances from FEMA for help with COVID-19 surge. “Minnesota is receiving 25 staffed ambulances from the federal government to help hospitals transfer patients so medical centers are better prepared for a surge of those critically ill with COVID-19. The state submitted the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency after ambulance operators said the rising cases could soon exhaust their ability to transfer patients between health care facilities, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.”
Minnesota
StarTribune: Minnesota launches COVID-19 tracking app via mobile devices
StarTribune: Minnesota launches COVID-19 tracking app via mobile devices. “A new Bluetooth-enabled mobile app will give Minnesotans with COVID-19 the ability to anonymously notify close contacts who they might have exposed to the infectious disease. Gov. Tim Walz unveiled COVIDaware MN on Monday and urged Minnesotans to use the app to slow the spread of the pandemic that has caused at least 3,265 deaths and more than 276,500 lab-confirmed infections in the state.”
StarTribune: Minnesota GOP sent virus alert only to its side of the aisle
StarTribune: Minnesota GOP sent virus alert only to its side of the aisle. “A day after it was revealed that GOP state Sen. Dave Senjem tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a Nov. 5 party caucus, news broke that Republican senators and staffers were informed in a Tuesday memo that ‘a number of [GOP Senate] members and staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19.’ DFLers were not informed of the rash of cases on the other side of the aisle.”
KSTP: Libraries face budget challenges across Minnesota
KSTP: Libraries face budget challenges across Minnesota. “As the pandemic continues, libraries are innovating. Many have expanded their e-book catalogs, turned to curbside pickup, created Facebook storytime videos and expanded mobile hot spot rentals.”
StateScoop: Minneapolis’ new website ‘turns us all into data scientists,’ CIO says
StateScoop: Minneapolis’ new website ‘turns us all into data scientists,’ CIO says. “Minneapolis DataSource contains dashboards for four categories of public data, including elections, public health, community safety, and housing and development. But [city CIO Fadi] Fadhil said the city is working to include more categories and dashboards through ‘constant automation’ of data collection around the city.”
StarTribune: Salvation Army COVID-19 outbreak in Minnesota sickens one-third of conference attendees
StarTribune: Salvation Army COVID-19 outbreak in Minnesota sickens one-third of conference attendees. “Twenty Salvation Army staff from Minnesota and North Dakota tested positive for COVID-19 after 62 people attended a recent conference in northern Minnesota, underscoring how easily the virus can spread.”
KMSP: Minnesota adding COVID-19 saliva test results to online database
KMSP: Minnesota adding COVID-19 saliva test results to online database. “The Minnesota Department of Health began posting the results from the saliva COVID-19 tests to the online database. This means that results from saliva testing, also known as antigen testing, will be posted alongside results from the other COVID-19 tests. The cumulative results are also posted. For example, on Wednesday, Minnesota reported the state has a total of 115,943 positive cases to date, with 180 of those coming from antigen tests.”
Minneapolis StarTribune: 175 COVID-19 cases linked to University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus in September
Minneapolis StarTribune: 175 COVID-19 cases linked to University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus in September. “The increasing spread of COVID-19 was reflected Friday in newly reported infections at the University of Minnesota and another 1,191 cases statewide confirmed by diagnostic testing. The Minnesota Department of Health reported a total of 94,189 infections with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and 1,994 deaths from the infectious disease.”
Minneapolis StarTribune: COVID-19 surveys halted in Minnesota amid racism, intimidation
Minneapolis StarTribune: COVID-19 surveys halted in Minnesota amid racism, intimidation. “A door-to-door COVID-19 testing survey has been halted due to multiple incidents in greater Minnesota of residents intimidating and shouting racial and ethnic slurs at state and federal public health survey teams.”
Minnesota Historical Society: MNHS Marks 100 Years Since Passage of 19th Amendment with Online Exhibit
Minnesota Historical Society: MNHS Marks 100 Years Since Passage of 19th Amendment with Online Exhibit. “Developed in partnership with the League of Women Voters Minnesota, the exhibit shares the stories of more than 40 Minnesota women whose commitment to civic responsibility, as well as the many voices who have been left out, can inspire us to participate more fully in the democratic process.”
KTSP: New website tracks broadband access and internet speed across Minnesota
KTSP: New website tracks broadband access and internet speed across Minnesota. “The Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition is asking people to take the speed test on their website. Participants give their address or a nearby location data. The website then measures the download and upload speeds of the internet connection. The results are then recorded and displayed on a map. Green dots indicate a fast connection; red dots equal a slow connection.”
Twin Cities Pioneer Press: Early test results show few protesters caught COVID-19
Twin Cities Pioneer Press: Early test results show few protesters caught COVID-19. “Early data from coronavirus tests of Minnesotans who participated in demonstrations after the death of George Floyd suggest the mass gatherings may not result in a spike in COVID-19 infections. More than 3,300 people who participated in protests and community events after Floyd’s death were tested for the coronavirus this week at four community testing sites.”
Echo Press: New website lists COVID-19 testing sites in Minnesota
Echo Press: New website lists COVID-19 testing sites in Minnesota. “As part of the state’s effort to provide widespread, rapid COVID-19 testing, Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a new website Friday, April 24, to help Minnesotans find a testing location within their community – if they’ve determined they need a test.”
PR Newswire: Free Statewide Program Seeks To Connect 10,000 Older Adults Isolated By COVID-19 With Background-Checked Phone Volunteers
PR Newswire: Free Statewide Program Seeks To Connect 10,000 Older Adults Isolated By COVID-19 With Background-Checked Phone Volunteers (PRESS RELEASE). “Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) today is launching a statewide effort to enroll 10,000 lonely and isolated older adults in Minnesota in its new Elder Friends Phone Companions program, which matches elders with background-checked volunteer phone companions who are ready to share an on-going friendship by phone during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”
Minnesota: Governor Tim Walz Unveils Data Dashboard, Outlines State’s Priorities in Responding to COVID-19
Minnesota: Governor Tim Walz Unveils Data Dashboard, Outlines State’s Priorities in Responding to COVID-19. “Governor Tim Walz today unveiled a new State of Minnesota COVID-19 dashboard that tracks the virus in Minnesota and provides the latest available data on available ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment (PPE), and testing. The dashboard will be updated daily and is available at https://mn.gov/covid19/.”