Thursday Morning C-19 Update

 

NOTE - Below is a radio-friendly notepad used on the Need To Know Morning Show on AM1100 The Flag WZFG.  Spelling, punctuation, etc are not edited.  

LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE UP TO THE MINUTE NUMBERS.....

21 new CONFIRMED CASES IN NORTH DAKOTA WEDNESDAY, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 147..........6 MORE IN CASS COUNTY - 31 NOW IN ALL, MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN THE STATE....….. THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN 46-HUNDRED WHO HAVE BEEN TESTED ...AND 39 HAVE HAD THE VIRUS AND RECOVERED.....NO NEW FATALITIES YESTERDAY - STILL 3 IN ALL.

FIVE MORE DEATHS IN MINNESOTA BRINGING THAT NUMBER TO 17….60 MORE TEST POSITIVE….AND NOW A TOTAL OF 689 CONFIRMED CASES…AND ONE NEW CONFIRMED CASE IN CLAY COUNTY, NOW A TOTAL OF SEVEN....ABOUT 20-THOUSAND HAVE BEEN TESTED....342 HAVE RECOVERED....

A SECOND DEATH WEDNESDAY In South Dakota, AFTER STAYING AT ONE FOR THE LAST 3 WEEKS....21 NEW POSITIVE TESTS THERE....129 NOW TOTAL..... ABOUT 4-THOUSAND HAVE BEEN TESTED....

ACROSS THE US, THE TREND OF RECORD DEATHS AND RECORD CASES CONTINUES....1,049 FATALITIES WEDNESDAY BY FAR MORE THAN ANY OTHER DAY....MORE THAN 26-THOUSAND NEW CASES ....AND NOW MORE THAN 215-THOUSAND IN ALL....THE DEATH COUNT HIT 5-THOUSAND YESTERDAY - CURRENTLY JUST OVER 5,100....BUT....ALMOST 9-THOUSAND HAVE HAD THE VIRUS AND RECOVERED...

worldwide THE DEATH TOLL STANDS AT NEARLY 47-THOUSAND....AFTER ADDING ABOUT 5-THOUSAND FATALITIES WEDNESDAY.....THERE ARE MORE THAN 930-THOUSAND CONFIRMED CASES, UP ABOUT 75-THOUSAND
FROM YESTERDAY.... WHILE more than 190,000 PEOPLE have had the virus worldwide and have recovered.....

ITALY AND SPAIN STILL SEEING MORE FATALITIES THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRIES....SPAIN ALMOST A THOUSAND DEAD WEDNESDAY ALONE....ITALY HAS MORE THAN 13-THOUSAND DEAD FAR MORE THAN ANY OTHER NATION....THE UK AND FRANCE ARE ALSO SEEING A RISE IN NUMBERS...MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE DIED IN BOTH COUNTRIES YESTERDAY.

ACCORDING TO THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL....ON AVERAGE, AT LEAST 128 PEOPLE HAVE DIED PER DAY FROM THE FLU SINCE OCTOBER 1ST...AS WE TOLD YOU EARLIER, WEDNESDAY’S FATALITY NUMBER IN THE U-S IS MORE THAN 8 TIMES HIGHER AT 1,049....

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ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM REPEATED WEDNESDAY THAT ND IS STILL WEEKS AWAY FROM THE PEAK OF CASES....HE ALSO SAID President Trump has granted HIS request for a major presidential disaster declaration...IT OPENS UP federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by the coronavirus...He said in his request that modeling indicates that 152,000 North Dakotans could become infected over an 18-month period, including 22,000 who would require 14-day hospitalizations.

BURGUM ALSO signed an executive order waiving the mandatory one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits....THE STATE saw an additional 26-HUNDRED unemployment claims filed WEDNESDAY BRINGING the total SO FAR to 27,241 claims – more than were filed during all of 2019....The federal government - through the aid package - is paying the first week of unemployment benefits for states that waive the waiting period requirement....HE SAID THE PRICE TAG FOR THE EXTRA WEEK COULD amount to 10 to 20 million dollars that ND would receive from the federal government.

BURGUM ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT existing business closures will be extended by two weeks, from April 6 to April 20....The order includes barber shops, beauty salons and other personal service and recreational businesses, along with restricting restaurants and bars to delivery and takeout service.....

THE GOVERNOR also announced that emergency responders such as law officers, paramedics and firefighters will now be told whether addresses to which they are responding are COVID-19-positive residences, so they can put on appropriate protective equipment.....The information will be provided without disclosing DETAILS ABOUT people's personal health information

One of North Dakota's largest oil producers filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, citing the coronavirus on top of plunging oil prices. Burgum said he expected more may follow and would “create real pressure on state budgets.”
While Whiting Oil was filing for Chapter 11 protection, state leaders were looking at an expected $1.2 billion in aid from the federal bailout package — possibly enough with rainy-day money to avert the need to radically rework the state budget.

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ SAYS A NEW MONTH MIGHT BRING RESIDENTS TO FEEL LIKE RELAXING ON SOCIAL GATHERINGS....WALZ HAS SAID THE PEAK IN MINNESOTA COULD BE AS FAR OFF AS LATE MAY.....MINNESOTA'S HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR JOE KELLY SAID WEDNESDAY THAT HE'S ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO MAKE HOMEMADE MASKS, BECAUSE THEY COULD SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS, AND LEAVE THE FACTORY MADE MASKS FOR THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS...WALZ ALSO REPEATED HIS DEMANDS FOR MORE TESTING SUPPLIES....SAYING THAT Despite multiple calls with the federal GOVERNMENT INCLUDING A PERSONAL request to Vice President Mike Pence, THAT TESTING SUPPLIES ARE NOT BEING SENT TO MINNESOTA.....

Walz ALSO SAID HE'LL deliver his State of the State address 7 p.m. Sunday from his residence via YouTube ....AND THAT HE HAS canceled the Governor’s Fishing Opener scheduled for May 7-10 in Otter Tail County but the fishing season will go on as planned

THE MN HEALTH DEPARTMENT ALSO SAID WEDNESDAY THAT 30 percent of identified cases are now considered tied to community spread, THE MOST OF ANY SINGLE CAUSE....

Most of the Minnesota COVID-19 deaths have been among long-term care residents, who account for 11 of the 17 deaths in the state.....COVID-19 has spread to at least three more long-term care facilities, with 42 now having at least one confirmed case.

Doosan Bobcat SAID WEDNESDAY THAT IT will shut down its production facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota until April 20.... North Dakota has three production facilities with 2,200 employees, and Minnesota has one facility with 100 employees.

LOCAL CITY AND HEALTH LEADERS GATHERED AT FARGO CITY HALL WEDNESDAY FOR AN UPDATE ON HOW THE METRO HAS HANDLED THE SPREAD....MAYORS CALLED FOR RESIDENTS TO AVOID COMMUNITY GATHERINGS AND EMPHASIZED THAT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ARE CONTRACTING THE VIRUS....SANFORD REPORTED THAT IT'S BACKLOG IN TEST RESULTS IS ALMOST GONE....AT ONE TIME MORE THAN 300 WERE WAITING FOR RESULTS....THAT NUMBER IS NOW DOWN TO LESS THAN 10.

NORTH DAKOTA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION KIRSTEN BAESLER TELLS WZFG/KTGO THAT ALL 171 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS GOT THEIR PLAN FOR DISTANCE LEARNING APPROVED BY THE START OF CLASSES WEDNESDAY....SCHOOLS RISKED LOSING THEIR STATE FUNDING TO PAY FOR SCHOOL IF THEIR PLAN WAS NOT APPROVED....

West Acres Mall OFFICIALS HAVE announced they will remain closed through April...

VALLEY NEWS LIVE REPORTS THAT MOORHEAD POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE CASH WISE ON 34TH STREET BECAUSE A MAN WHO SAID HE HAD THE VIRUS BEGAN COUGHING ON EMPLOYEES AND THREATENED PEOPLE OF OTHER RACES FOR CREATING THE VIRUS...

A Minot police officer is quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus and five other city employees who were in contact with the officer are self-isolating.....THE OFFICER HAS NOT NEEDED HOSPITALIZATION AND IS RECOVERING AT HOME.

THE STAR TRIBUNE REPORTS THAT A gallon of gas IS going for less than $1 at a few Minnesota gas stations, and prices at some stations in the metro had dropped to $1.06.

4 MORE STATES ISSUED SHELTER IN PLACE ORDERS WEDNESDAY.....FLORIDA, GEORGIA, MISSISSIPPI, AND NEVADA , MAKING 36 STATES IN ALL THAT HAVE DONE SO...ALL TOGETHER, MORE THAN 290 MILLION AMERICANS, ABOUT 88% OF THE COUNTRY - HAVE BEEN TOLD TO REMAIN SHELTERED....AND Surgeon General Jerome Adams  TOLD NBC'S TODAY SHOW - “My advice to America WOULD BE THAT WE HAVE ISSUED a national stay-at-home order.’

Many Americans appear to be turning to alcohol to occupy their time during the coronavirus outbreak......Sales at liquor stores have increased significantly during the coronavirus outbreak.....Nielsen reports booze sales jumped 55% in the third week of March compared to the same time last year. That was the week several states issued shelter-in-place orders.

THE FINANCIAL MARKETS STARTED THE 2ND QUARTER THE WAY THEY ENDED THE FIRST.....THE DOW JONES WAS OFF MORE THAN 900 POINTS AS A JD POWER REPORT SAID NEW CAR AND TRUCK SALES WERE DOWN ABOUT 40 PERCENT IN MARCH....U-S MANUFACTURING ALSO FELL TO AN 11 YEAR LOW.....