The rise in risk levels in many of the state’s most populous and virus-affected counties is accompanied by a change in guidelines for “high-risk” counties.
Bars, rest restaurants rent and big venues and orange coded positions in Case County on Friday, 15 others were advised to serve only a quarter of their normal capacity and not more than 50 people in total. Bergham confirmed that new guidelines are not required by law, but “the strongest recommendation possible.”
Prior to Wednesday, high-risk levels led to the mandatory closure of nail salons, barber shops and gyms, as well as a ban on home-cooked meals in restaurants and bars. Bergham said new knowledge of the spread of the virus suggests that more transmission comes to marriage and church services than to personal care businesses, so banning hair and nail salons is not a very effective policy.
No county has been placed in the highest, “critical risk” category since Bergham inaugurated the level system in May, although it will make the necessary business terminations under the new guidelines.
Bergam’s five-color gauge has been criticized by civil record keepers and its political opponents, who say the designation is arbitrary and fails to convey the real threat of COVID-19 in hard-hit communities. The Republican governor last week refused to move any counties to the orange or red level, despite meeting 14 counties or two of the main criteria for high or critical risk.
Gov. Doug Bergam moved 16 North Dakota counties to a “high-risk” level for COVID-19 on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Screenshot by North Dakota Health Department
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney told the Forum News Service that the city would put “strong pressure” on businesses to implement mask policies and comply with new recommendations on capacity limits. Mahoney said the closure of compulsory businesses coming from the state and the city could be a real possibility if the Covid-19 rate does not decrease if it spreads to the community.
“If people don’t respect the disease, we’re heading for an economic shutdown,” Mahoney said.
Bergam, Wednesday struck a more intense tone than usual Wednesday when urging residents to wear masks and avoid gathering in large groups. He went on to make a familiar line that every resident should be able to eradicate the virus by being responsible for taking precautionary measures, rather than issuing a successful order by the North Dakota government.
He noted that COVID-19 could prove to be a serious illness for young people and appealed to all residents to return to the spirit of state unity eight months ago when much was still unknown about the virus.
“Last spring, in you, we had absolute unity, and we need to revive the feeling inside the heart at that time,” Bergum said. “We don’t have to do that forever. We need to do as long as possible to slow the spread. We need to do as long as possible to reach 2021 so that other resources can be at our disposal, including vaccines that can help protect. The most vulnerable. . “
Bergham lamented that public hygiene measures such as mask-wearing have become politicized. However, he expressed the hope that North Dakota could have its catastrophic outbreak if residents make “small investments in behavioral changes”.
Earlier in the day, eight deaths from COVD-19 were reported to the state health department, with a record number of active cases and new infections.
Health officials have confirmed the deaths of three Lamaur County men, a Bowman County woman, a Burley County man, a McLane County man, a Macintosh County man and a Mercer County man. The victims were all at least 50 years old and had underlying conditions.
The department says 36 since5 North Dakotons have died from the disease since March, and deaths have been rising rapidly over the past two months. October The deaths recorded so far in October have put the pace of the epidemic at its fastest ever. 120 people were killed in September.
At least 212 deaths in the state have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, many of which have been weakened by the virus in the past two months. According to the department, the number of infected residents in nine facilities, including the Somerset Courts in Minot, is double-digit, with 57 residents who tested positive, according to the department.
Now there are 4,759 North Dakotans found to be infected with the virus. It is the seventh day in a row that the state has set a new epidemic record.
According to The New York Times, North Dakota has the highest number of Covid-19 cases and per capita deaths in the country in the past week. South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Montana and Minnesota are seeing an increase in cases across the region, with the states identified by the publication as “living longer and more infected”.
The number of residents admitted to the hospital due to illness dropped to 132 on Wednesday. Other patients Initially patients were initially hospitalized with some other illnesses but were later tested positive for COVD-1. Thirty-North Dakotans with the virus are in intensive care.
North Dakotans migrating out of state for medical care are not being tracked by the health department, spokeswoman Nicole Peske said.
The state has been plagued by a shortage of available hospital beds as there is a strain on COVID-19 hospitalized health care personnel and high nonconjunctivitis admissions. There are 32 intensive care beds and 241 regular, patient beds available across the state.
The situation is particularly urgent in Bismarck, where two hospitals have one available ICU bed and two inpatient beds between them. Fargo’s three hospitals have 20 open ICU beds and 24 inpatient beds, while Grand Forks’ Ultru Hospital has four ICU beds and 22 inpatient beds.
The health department on Wednesday registered 713 new cases of COVID-19.
More than 40 counties reported at least one case Wednesday, including several smaller, rural counties.
Cass County, including Fergo, reported a total of 216 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The state’s most populous country has seen an increase in new infections in the last two weeks and is now the most active case in the state with 1,099. It’s all more in the middle of Gust than North Dakota.
Burling County, which includes Bismarck, reported 151 new cases Wednesday. The county has the second most active case in the state with 505. Morton County, west of Burling County and includes Mandan, has 44 new cases reported and ૨ 270 active cases.
The two largest metro areas in the state account for about 46% of active cases in the state.
Fifty-six new cases came from Ward County, including Minot. The county has the third most active case in the state at 324.
Grand Forks County has reported 30 new cases, bringing its active case count to 316.
Of the 7,475 residents tested as part of the latest batch, about 9.5% had a positive result, but 20.1% of first-time residents had a positive result.
North Dakota does not report a seven-day rolling average for the positivity rate, but the Forum News Service calculated it to be 8.4% for all residents tested and 15.2% for tests taken on previously untested residents. Both rates are the highest since the Forum News Service began searching for the figures in early August.
The World Health Organization recommends keeping the positive rate below 5% before allowing industries to reopen.
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