Governor Walz’s mask mandate is effective today. Walz’s team of hacks has helpfully drafted messages for “validators” subject to his jurisdiction to express their support of the mandate. Indeed, Walz’s Department of Employment and Economic Development forwarded the draft messages to the department’s business “partners” by email yesterday.
One of the draft messages is to be directed to Governor Walz and “light-skinned Native woman” Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Walz and Flanagan will be encouraged by the heartfelt expressions of support, or at least be able to tout them to their friends in the press.
Kevin Roche was not on DEED’s distribution list. Kevin is not a validator. See Kevin’s posts “A Very, Very Sad Day in Minnesota, Part II” and “Masks and Cases.” It is Kevin’s view that the mandate will make no difference and could make things worse. Feel free to copy and paste either of Kevin’s posts into an email to Walz and Flanagan.
The authorities attributed five new deaths to COVID-19 yesterday. One of the new decedents was in his 100’s, one in his 90’s, one in his 80’s, one in his 70’s, and one in his 60’s. They also reported 763 new cases, but the median age of these cases has dropped a year in the past week. It’s now down to 36. The new cases skew heavily to younger demographic groups. Apparently none dare say “good,” but that’s good.
The Department of Health held its final press briefing of the week yesterday afternoon. I have posted the audio below. At about 25:00 Infectious Disease Division Director Kris Ehresmann gives the COVID-19 case fatality rates broken down by age. The fatality rates range from .01 percent in the youngest group to 59.6 percent among those in their 100’s. That’s why it’s good that the new cases skew heavily to younger demographic groups.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.