The Latest: Minnesota hospitals brace for wave of patients

The Latest: Minnesota hospitals brace for wave of patientsHospitals and healthcare systems across Minnesota are bracing for a wave of new patients as the state sees alarming growth in virus cases and hospitalizations are expected to follow

By The Associated Press

November 6, 2020, 12:37 AM

• 14 min read

FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, workers count Milwaukee County ballots at Central Count in Milwaukee. U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a surprising twist. In places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

MINNEAPOLIS — Hospitals and healthcare systems across Minnesota are bracing for a wave of new patients as the state sees alarming growth in virus cases and hospitalizations are expected to follow.

The state’s health department reported 3,956 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 25 deaths on Thursday, breaking the single-day record for new cases for the third straight day. The state’s totals since the pandemic began now sit at 164,865 cases and 2,555 deaths.

Minnesota health officials said Wednesday that more than 800 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, with more than 200 in intensive care. As of Thursday morning, one in every five intensive care beds across the state was occupied by a COVID-19 patient, said Dr. Rahul Koranne, president of the Minnesota Hospital Association.

“The community spread that we are seeing is quite explosive, and that is directly translating into increasing number of COVID-19 patients that are hospitalized and increasing number of COVID-19 patients needing intensive care units,” he said. “That is definitely worrisome and something we are closely watching.”

Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases expert and medical director for the Mayo Clinic’s pandemic preparedness efforts, said the healthcare system’s contingency planning revolves around space, staffing and supplies.

There are levels of planning in place, which have so far included moving patients to locations with less demand, reassigning staff to locations with more demand, bringing nurses out of retirement and over from research departments, he said.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— U.S. counties with the worst coronavirus surges overwhelmingly voted for Trump

— Britain extends salary support for unemployed because of virus restrictions

— Cal-Washington football game canceled after player’s positive test

— Greece announces 3-week, nationwide lockdown in the hopes of stemming an increase in hospitalizations

— In Spain, coronavirus puts the poor at the back of the line

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Follow AP’s coronavirus pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Deaths from coronavirus illness in Illinois topped a grim mark Thursday. With 97 additional deaths from COVID-19, the state pushed past 10,000 fatalities since the pandemic reached the state in February.

That forbidding number was accompanied by another — a single-day record of 9,935 fresh infections from the highly contagious and potentially deadly coronavirus.

“I cannot stress (enough) how important your individual actions are right now. What you do, what we all do, will determine how much worse the coming weeks will look,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing in Chicago. “We are seeing record numbers of new COVID-19 cases across the state.