Minnesota adding three COVID-19 testing sites in response to demand, omicron concerns

[question everything]

Minnesota is opening three more free COVID-19 testing centers next week in response to public concern over the new, fast-spreading omicron variant and hourlong lines at existing state sites.

Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday said adding new sites in Anoka, Cottage Grove and North Branch is necessary to increase state surveillance of viral spread and alert people to their infection status so they can take steps to protect others.

"Testing is a key tool for Minnesotans looking to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19 — especially the new, contagious omicron variant," Walz said.

Some of Minnesota's 20 existing COVID-19 testing sites have reported overwhelming demand, especially after the holidays as people want to check their infection status following family and group gatherings.

Lines at the Minneapolis Convention Center snaked down the hallway Tuesday afternoon, stretching to a second entrance at the downtown site. Those who had booked appointments in advance online were in and out of the testing site within 10 minutes while walk-ins faced long waits. One woman getting her first COVID-19 test complained about waiting for almost an hour, unaware that she could jump to the front of the line because she had snagged an appointment online.

More..

https://www.startribune.com/december-was-minnesotas-deadliest-month-in-2021-for-covid-19/600132568/




People waited in long lines Tuesday to get tested for COVID-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

[progree]

1. Another big jump in 7 day moving average coming: Tuesday 64% more new cases than last Tue.

Per the 1100 AM Minn Dept of Health, Tuesday (usually the big day when Friday through Monday, 3 days, are reported), we had 16,204 cases, up from 9,873 the previous Tuesday, so the 7 day will make another big upward move.

A word to the Mr. and Ms. Cools out there, you know, its mild blah blah blah. That's fine, but don't assume every one is where they should be - some of us are immunocompromised, or other health issues, old, and not everyone is boosted that should be. Like the half dose Moderna booster on top of the original one-shot Johnson & Johnson vax, argghhhh, that's supposed to work?. Nor do we want to be subject to a fucking experiment to see if we will get the mild version or the hospitalization version of Omicron. And we don't know yet if there will be a long-Covid with this or not.

Anyway, I have a neighbor, by the way, a Democrat who should know better. I'm standing inside my doorway behind my closed storm door looking out the big storm door window, and he walks up, maskless and opens my fucking storm door while I'm still standing right there, so we have nothing but air between us, and wishes me a happy new year and tells me about some plumbing issue that affected the whole village for a couple of hours. We get in a short conversation, including about Covid, I hope he saw the extreme tension on my face and noticed I was standing back somewhat, but some of the Mr. and Ms. Cools, including some of the Democratic versions of those, can be oblivious.

The maskless neighbor by the way was probably talking to other people along the row about the plumbing issue (he's on the home owner association board). Yeah, you don't have to wear a mask every time you go outside. But if you're going deliberately to talk to your neighbors, wear your goddam mask

[question everything]

2. Would he had got the hint had you pulled your T shirt or sweatshirt over your nose?

[progree]

3. Or had a very sudden and serious coughing fit. Bonus: a couple of Covid MPR graphs

Last edited Wed Jan 5, 2022, 12:54 AM - Edit history (2)

As an ex-smoker, I can do some convincing serious coughing on a split second's notice.

But I wasn't thinking, I was just stunned, just getting thru the conversation.

Actually he's a real good guy, the pillar of the community (our 60 unit townhouse complex), and I'm very lucky to have him as my next door neighbor, on the other side of my north wall in fact. But on the Covid thing, he just doesn't seem to think about it when he's interacting with people. Though he said he was vaxxed (haven't talked to him about that stuff since before the booster era, so don't know if he's boosted or not).

Bonus, the Minnesta Covid egghead's report, 1/3/22
http://view.connect.mpr.org/?qs=b61861959c2b2d56c30c02099aab800c24ed76323ab930a8fd6099f5d7e1645722d30358aef90091b6c3c628bbc83607105338cf9589bcacd1fb2b7db6769f01e0f16b96ba022ce00af097d47548242a
-- a lot of reading but not necessary, just scrolling thru the incredible graphs. Depressing how all along cases and positivity during this winter's wave was doing better than the previous winter wave -- until suddenly it's not. Just one example:



Edit: sorry, another one -- it's surging in the metro area way way, way way more than Greater Minn:



Late Edit:David Montgomery, the author thinks the recent rise in Minnesota cases is primarily either a result of the Christmas holidays or the Omicron surge. (Of course its some of both, but what is the primary cause?) Then he says the sudden disparity between the metro and the outstate areas is key evidence that its probably omicron that got going in the metro first. and we'll soon enough see a surge outstate before long. Along with the fact that the huge surges in the northeast U.S. and the southern U.S., just to name a couple of regions, are unambiguously Omicron-fueled surges.

Note I didn't say "and New Years holiday" -- the test results that the above Jan. 3 report is based on came from tests done before the end of the year.