Experts say experience has convinced the Midwest of the danger of the virus

Amnesty from the catastrophic outbreak of the coronavirus in the Upper Midwest has raised concerns to health officials that the infection may continue to spread and holiday gatherings could rekindle the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. Gave careful relief

Sioux Falls, South Dakota-Due to the surge in virus incidence in many countries, the release from the catastrophic surge of coronavirus in the Upper Midwest health Authorities are concerned that the infection continues to be widespread and that holiday gatherings could rekindle the worst outbreak of a pandemic.

In the Midwest and northern states of the Great Plains, the worst coronavirus infection rates in the United States were seen weeks before Thanksgiving, hospitals expanded beyond capacity, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, States such as Iowa and Wisconsin have the highest per capita deaths in November.

However, in the past two weeks, the average daily number of cases has declined in these states, from 20% in Iowa to 66% in North Dakota, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. Since mid-November, the entire region has returned to levels similar to October.

“We are in control of the fire, but under the right conditions, it’s very easy to reignite,” said Ryan Demar, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health.

For the region, which was the forerunner of the viral wave that currently plagues most of the country, the positive direction of the Midwest is while waiting for the vaccine while experts think it will be the last few months. A pandemic that provides the hope that people can come together to take virus prevention measures seriously.

The governor used diminishing numbers to justify their divergent approach to fighting pandemics, and sometimes even jousts. In Minnesota, Democratic Governor Tim Walz said bar and restaurant restrictions were working and defended maintaining some restrictions until early January. In the neighboring state of South Dakota, Republican Governor Kristi Noem has argued against it, claiming that Mask’s obligations make no difference, taking advantage of the recent decline in numbers in her state.

However, some epidemiologists believe that the most compelling factor for many who have doubled their efforts to prevent infection may be the experience of the virus at the individual level. As the pandemic sneaked into the Midwestern community, more and more loved ones, friends, and acquaintances were sick and dead.

Dr. Christine Petersen, director of the University of Iowa Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, said: “It’s a fox hole religion.” Suddenly your local hospital is full and your sister, aunt, or grandmother is in the hospital. “

According to data from the COVID Tracking Project, one in 278 people in the northern provinces of Wisconsin to Montana needed treatment at a COVID-19 hospital. In a close community, those experiences go home.

Dr. James Roller of the Global Health Security Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said the virus had spread by early November, and almost everyone knows who was seriously affected by COVID-19.

“It’s like taking things home in ways that we didn’t just talk about it before,” he said, avoiding gatherings, parties, and indoor dining as more people wear face masks. Pointed out.

Until the fall, the Upper Midwest did not see the widespread outbreaks and high mortality experienced by other parts of the country in the early months of the pandemic. Many have taken a loose approach to virus mitigation. Republican governors in the region have avoided government orders for wearing masks and other efforts to prevent infection.

Many health professionals have warned that the area is ripe for widespread infections, especially as the weather cools, people gather inside and the coronavirus spreads more easily.

“When the snowman started, everyone fell down,” Petersen said. “We knew this was coming. People who took precautions and doubled down got a little better, but they knew it would be difficult.”

Petersen evaluated new efforts to delay infection based on a combination of the following factors: Warnings from health officials and healthcare professionals that hospitals are full. Some Republican governors have ordered them to wear masks. And a living experience of a pandemic. According to other experts, some people, such as those working in meat packaging factories where the infection is widespread, are experiencing very high infection rates, which slows down the virus.

However, many were worried that the success of avoiding the Thanksgiving surge across the region would cancel the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Petersen was worried that people might have decided to stop the Thanksgiving gathering and celebrate their family on Christmas. As a Midwestern native, she admitted that it was difficult to resist a draw with her family on holidays.

“I hope many of us don’t feel guilty in a few weeks,” she said.

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Funk was reported by Norfolk, Nebraska. Steve Karnowski of Minneapolis contributed to this report.