Minnesota report, November 19
total cases 249,906(+7,877), total recovered 198,365, total hospitalized 14,171/3,346(1,384/367)*, total deaths 3,082(+72), total tests 3,534,745**/***(+54,514)
fatality rate 1.2%
mortality rate 540.7 per million
test rate 620 per thousand
positive rate 7.1%
*The current cases hospitalized and in ICU. Note that these numbers have ~doubled in the last 20 days, and the averaged daily number of new deaths has more than doubled in the last few days (the large group of new cases have been ill long enough that they are starting to die in proportionately large numbers).
**This number is the total number of tests that have been processed.
***The actual total number of individuals that have received 1 or more tests is 2,223,137.
Addition to the Minnesota report.
As I mentioned up-thread on October 29th, the hospitals and healthcare systems in the more rural areas of Minnesota were beginning to have serious problems.
I found out a couple of days ago that my home town has had some very serious issues. There is only one nursing home in my home town, with a total of about 45 residents. As of the first week of November ALL of the residents tested positive for COVID-19. Since then 8 have died, with 8 listed as critical - 4 of them currently on ventilators. The situation became so bad that members of the residents' families were contacted and asked/told to come in and help take care of their loved ones. A friend of my sister was one of the people contacted, to help take care of her mother. When she arrived at the nursing home she found that there were only 2 health care workers available on second and third shift, with 3 available during 1st shift. The normal staffing is 8-10/6/4 for 1st/2nd/3rd shift. This shortage is due to a combination of factors, ie the workers being exposed to COVID and isolating, being ill themselves with COVID, having to take care of their own family members who have contracted COVID, and an unavailability of skilled people capable of working in the current environment. When her mother's health started to go downhill, my sister's friend took her mother to the local area hospital where she was turned away by the hospital staff. They had no beds available in ICU or the COVID isolation and treatment ward - due to some of the same reasons that existed at the nursing home - plus treatment in an isolation environment was not possible and there was too great a risk of the virus spreading among the other non-COVID hospital patients. Her mother died a couple of days later at their home. During the second week of taking care of her mother, my sister's friend also contracted COVID. My sister has been unable to contact her friend for about a week now.
Unfortunately, although Minnesota's ratio of the total number of hospital beds to the number of serious COVIC-19 cases is still not too bad, the events described above are becoming more common in the rural areas. Even a numerically small number of active cases can overwhelm a local healthcare system.
We are currently entering a second severe lockdown by order of the Minnesota Governor, with the hope that the restrictions will help reduce the rate of spread to a more manageable level. There is not going to be a literal stay-at-home/shelter-in-place order, but all indoor entertainment businesses are to close, all indoor/outdoor dining businesses (including bars) are to close, etc. Most workplaces will remain open as long as they obey the social distancing and workplace health safety guidelines already in effect. Any social gatherings (indoor or outdoor) are banned (ie no parties) for anyone not members of the same family, except events such as wedding ceremonies and funerals (and similar) as long as social distancing and the number restrictions (ie how many people may be present in the venue) are observed. Outdoor activities and exercise are still allowed as long as all present are members of the same family (ie no frat parties, no friendly get-together football keggers, no neighborhood barbecues, etc). Even large family get-togethers (such as Thanksgiving dinner) are frowned upon, although there will be no legal repercussions as long as those present are members of the same family.