Negative test is not a large family Thanksgiving free pass, Minnesota health officials warn – Twin Cities

Minnesota health officials want you and your host to stay home for Thanksgiving, even if you recently tested negative for the coronavirus.

Governor Tim Waltz’s latest executive order For the next four weeks, we will ban people from multiple households from gathering socially, whether outdoors or in remote locations.

The “Laylow” period aims to delay the spread of the virus that has killed 3,303 Minnesota people so far, including another 38 reported on Tuesday.

There were an additional 6,423 infections on Tuesday, 5% of the state’s population has been positive since March, and there are more infections, but they have never been tested.

For the past eight months, Minnesota citizens have been required to pay particular attention to hand hygiene, wear masks, and avoid people outside the home. But Thanksgiving is arguably the first major challenge to family traditions and a great opportunity for the virus to spread among those who ignore public health guidance.

“People need to change their habits, which ensures that they take care of everyone who gets sick,” said Dr. Mark Sanes, senior medical director and infectious disease specialist at HealthPartners. I will.

Sannes said he had adjusted Thanksgiving plans in the last two weeks as the number of infectious diseases increased and the beds available decreased. Instead of gathering with his parents and parents-in-law, he and his wife spend a day with their daughters and deliver food to their parents in a non-contact manner.

“This year won’t be a typical year,” Sannes said, adding that promising trials of three separate vaccine candidates give him hope that they can celebrate regular Thanksgiving next year. It was.

Not a test

Sannes and state health officials have warned against relying on the coronavirus test as a free pass to meet family members on Thursday.

The test is very accurate, but it only captures a moment.

A person may already be infected, but the viral load in the body is not high enough to cause a positive test result. It usually takes 4-5 days, but culturing the virus can take as long as 14 days.

Therefore, you may get a negative test result after contacting an infected person, but you will only get sick after a few days.

“If you’re negative and tested on Sunday, you can easily get positive on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday,” said state infectious disease director Chris Elesmann. ..

What about people who were negative two weeks ago and have been at home since then and haven’t even left the grocery store? Sannes admits that it sounds safe as long as all guests do the same.

“Not many people have a perfect period of two weeks,” he said.

New increase in hospital use

The 38 deaths reported on Tuesday include residents of Dakota County in their late 30s. Others were between the ages of 60 and 99, and 23 lived in long-term facilities or group homes.

It’s been 10 days since the state broke the one-day record of a new incident. Health commissioner Jean Malcolm cannot conclude that the virus has peaked, but said it could be “we are now in a valley between the waves.”

Last week, 14.3 percent of tests returned positive, according to state numbers. This is down from 15.2 percent last week. “It’s a little brighter,” Malcolm said.

However, hospitalization for COVID-19 remains surprisingly high.

As of Monday, a record 1,828 patients were being treated for COVID-19 at a hospital in Minnesota. That number was 590 just a month ago.

When testing

The pace of testing continues to accelerate, with an additional 53,855 results reported on Tuesday.

Assistant Health Commissioner Dann Huff of the state Test program at home “Great success”. They mailed over 210,000 free tests, but only 38,000 were filled with saliva and returned.

“These tests don’t work when we put them in a package,” says Huff.

Huff on Tuesday clarified guidance around Who should be tested:

• If you have symptoms of COVID-19, take the test immediately.
• If these symptoms are severe, contact your doctor instead of appearing on your local testing site.
• If you are exposed to an infected person, you should be tested about 5 days after exposure and stay at home for 2 weeks, even if the test is negative and you have no symptoms.
• Take the test between the ages of 18 and 35, especially if you work outside the house.