Search Results for: coronavirus in one state
November 21, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Governor Walz’s most recent shutdown order became effective overnight. He seized control of the public relations this week by taking over each of the press briefings usually run by the Minnesota Department of Health. He concluded with a bang yesterday, convening a briefing on mental health issues exacerbated by the shutdown and related restrictions. He also hosted several guests from mental health services along with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and
»
November 19, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Governor Walz convened yet another press conference this afternoon to present Minnesota health care providers and executives speaking up on his behalf in support of his lockdown order. Walz opened with reference to the 72 new deaths attributed to the epidemic today. It is another record. Fifty-one of the 72 were residents of long-term care facilities (he didn’t mention that). The median age of decedents remains 83, according to the
»
November 19, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Governor Walz announced a new set of lockdown measures in a televised 26-minute torrent of verbiage last night (video below). The authorities attributed 67 new deaths to COVID-19 in the data released yesterday morning. Fifty-one of these deaths occurred among residents of long-term care facilities. Yet nowhere in his announcement or the following press conference (audio at the bottom) did this subject come up. Pulitzer Prize-winning Star Tribune health care
»
November 17, 2020 — Scott Johnson
“Cases,” hospitalizations, and deaths continue to surge in Minnesota as they do across the Upper Midwest. Elderly residents of long-term care facilities and others with significant underlying conditions are at particular risk, although the authorities do not flag the data for reasons that cynics probably understand best. Ninety-four percent of all those whose deaths are attributed to the epidemic had significant underlying conditions; two percent lacked them. I hope all
»
November 14, 2020 — Scott Johnson
I would like faithful readers of this series to know that I have reached an agreement to settle my lawsuit against Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and MDH Communications Director Michael Schommer. I am awaiting only their execution of the agreement. Although it has attracted roughly no attention beyond my own coverage on Power Line, the lawsuit vindicates the First Amendment in the context of the MDH press
»
November 11, 2020 — Scott Johnson
I have noted in this series over the past month that the press briefings around which it is organized have intimated the assertion of additional control over our lives after the election. Yesterday was the day, as Governor Walz gave one of his patented Joe Isuzu speeches at 2:00 p.m. to announce the new measures as set forth in yet another executive order: Emergency Executive Order 20-96, “Restricting Social Gatherings,
»
November 7, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Life goes on, and that seems to be the problem. The highly contagious COVID-19 virus continues to spread through human contact. Yesterday the authorities reported 5,454 new “cases” up from about 3,800 the day before. Hospitalizations are above 1,000 across the state. In the number that I follow most closely, they reported 36 new deaths. Please note that 24 of these 36 fatalities occurred among residents of long-term care facilities
»
November 5, 2020 — Scott Johnson
In order to maintain continuity I am keeping at this series despite my own low level of interest in the immediate aftermath of the election. The political impact of the epidemic is visible in our election results. To take one prominent example, Republicans picked up a congressional seat in the Seventh District, where Michelle Fischbach knocked off incumbent Democrat Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson after his 15 terms in Congress.
»
November 3, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Minnesota takes part in the current surge in “cases” or positive tests for COVID-19 that dominate news of the epidemic, but most notable to me over the past few days are the “consequences” in long-term care facilities. Since I last reported over the weekend, the authorities have attributed 20 new deaths (10/31, 15 in long-term care facilities), 18 new deaths (11/1, 13 LTC), and 9 new deaths (11/2, five LTC)
»
October 31, 2020 — Scott Johnson
The best epidemic related commentary I read this week was Matt Continetti’s Washington Free Beacon column “The next populist revolt.” I want to flag it for readers here at the top of my update. The Minnesota Department of Health threw me a curve ball with its third briefing of the week. Upsetting the customary schedule, they held it on Thursday rather rather than on Friday. I have posted the audio
»
October 29, 2020 — Scott Johnson
We appear to be riding another wave of the COVID-19 epidemic as reflected in positive tests, whatever they mean, increased hospitalizations and increased deaths. In yesterday’s data, for example, the authorities attributed 19 new deaths to the disease. Sixteen of these 19 deaths occurred among residents of long-term care facilities, which reminds us of how the same old thing rolls on. Other elements of the same old thing persist. The
»
October 27, 2020 — Scott Johnson
Following the data presented in this series and tuning in to the Minnesota Department of Health press briefings, I have found this astounding fact: virtually all deaths attributed to COVID-19 have occurred among decedents with one of seven serious underlying health conditions such as chronic lung disease, severe obesity, and diabetes (see, e.g., Walz executive order 20-55 paragraph 2). In Minnesota, the share of COVID-19 decedents with serious underlying health
»
October 24, 2020 — Scott Johnson
In part 116 of this series, I noted that Minnesota had matched its daily high in new deaths (35) earlier this week. Over the past two days, however, the daily death totals have receded to 20 (10/22, 13 among residents of long-term care facilities) and 13 (10/23, two among LTC residents). New cases and other related numbers continue at a high rate. If the elections were not impending, the authorities
»
October 22, 2020 — Scott Johnson
The headline in Minnesota’s COVID-19 news is the 35 new deaths authorities attributed to the disease yesterday. The number ties a record that goes back to May. However, it follows daily reports of five new deaths (10/17), 17 new deaths (10/18), five new deaths (10/19), and 7 new deaths (10/20). Does the number 35 reflect a backlog of earlier deaths dumped into yesterday’s data? Tom Hauser asked the question at
»
October 20, 2020 — Scott Johnson
The public health authorities want us to know that we the dangers of COVID-19 abide. New case counts are increasing slightly faster than testing. The testing positivity rate has exceeded an arbitrary threshold of concern. Hospitalizations are up, but not much. Yet the death toll creeps in this petty pace from day to day. Taking the the deaths attributed to the disease by the authorities yesterday, we had five new
»
October 17, 2020 — Scott Johnson
New cases of COVID-19 have climbed to record levels in Minnesota. That is the headline news in stories such as MPR’s “Highest death count in months; 1,200 new cases” (October 14) and “Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Deaths climb, case counts skyrocket on strong testing” (October 16) this week — stories that faithfully reflect the tone and content of advice from the Department of Health. The record number of cases
»
October 14, 2020 — Scott Johnson
As I suggested yesterday, the public relations imperative is coming to the fore as the elections approach. Following up on his excruciating dog and pony show featuring victims of COVID-19 last week, Governor Walz himself took the helm of a one-hour COVID-19 press briefing again yesterday with guests including Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Assistant Commissioner Dan “the Dread” Huff, and the mayors of Duluth and Brooklyn Park.
»
