COVID-19

For many Minnesotans, the first snow fall of December cause an instinctual, almost automatic response. We grab the nearest smartphone or tablet and open Kayak or Google Flights to plan a trip — and get the heck out of here. And just when we thought COVID-19 concerns were behind us, we are broadsided by the worries of the Omicron variant! Is it really going to be another horrible winter of boring walks around the neighborhood? I have two domestic trips and one international trip planned and I am damn sure not staying home. Here are some of the ways I am going to maneuver through the upcoming...

 

Our April 12^th Minnesota COVID-19 forecast model was the first to predict Minnesota crushing COVID cases by June 1. Our May 20^th herd immunity analysis used custom reports from the Minnesota Department of Health to reveal that the State’s herd immunity percentages are already exceeding World Health Organization goals. And this week we turn our attention to a troubling surge in COVID Delta...

On March 9^th, the California Medical Association presented survey results of 79,000 residents displaying that 38% carried COVID-19 immunity antibodies. The findings were gathered from blood banks and clinics across the state. The fascinating part of that study was the timing. It was conducted through February 20th when barely 5 percent of Californians were fully vaccinated, and only 11 percent had received their first shot (according to USA Facts). That left an intriguing gap of 27-33 percent of the population that had been infected and still carried protection.

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Meet the Press last Sunday, noted University of Minnesota Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm called the current rising wave of COVID-19 cases “category five hurricane status.” He warned that a fourth wave of infections is imminent. Meanwhile, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky echoed that same sense of doom in an interview with CNN. Is the sky falling? Rather than strapping on my second mask, I decided to dive into the numbers and again tap the analytic expertise of Rich Heichert, retired Ecolab...

The words were ringing in my ears, a dire warning from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. He stated the theatre industry is:  “not going to recover fully until consumers are confident that they won’t die if they go to the movies. That means no return to normal until there is a vaccine widely available, likely not until April to July 2021.”

Wow, what a gut punch for avid theatre buffs! And the numbers support him. Domestic movie box office is on pace to attract $2.1 billion in ticket sales this year — down 90 percent or $9 billion from the last two years. And to add insult...

Are the predictions of a long, dark COVID winter putting you on edge? Fighting visions of being trapped in a wind–swept Ice Station Zebra? Fret no more. Much has changed since the dog days of Stay at Home MN. Many uplifting and energizing recreation options will be open this time around.

Join me as we chart our top five diversions that will keep a smile on your face and the winter blues in the rear view mirror.  

1.    Skiing Aims to Be the Next Golf Craze.  Many ski slopes across the country were sucker punched by COVID-19 and closed abruptly in mid-March. Most...

Not since 9/11 have the nation’s airlines faced the watershed moment occurring at the end of the month. Their $50 billion CARE subsidy commitments barring layoffs expire, Congress has not signed on for new aid and Forbes estimates that more than 76,000 employees might be axed.  

On the other side of the coin, consumers are being enticed by historically low fares with few restrictions. From MSP, a quick glance at September airfare levels is stunning. Low Cost Carriers such as Frontier, Spirit and Sun Country are offering Las Vegas, San Francisco, Dallas,...

As Minnesota’s death tolls surged in May, the words of a prominent Twin Cities funeral director were ringing in my ears: “What useful purpose is being served to record loved ones that died with COVID-19, not from COVID-19?” He concluded the interview by counseling: “Tony, get the total Minnesota mortality numbers for April and May and verify if the growth justifies the scale of the public emergency.”

Well, that was easier said than a done. First a voicemail to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and then an email a week later — went unanswered. Finally, an email to Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology,...

Gill Brothers Funeral and Cremation served Minnesota families by horse and buggy when it was founded in 1889 and has been family-owned ever since. When its President Dan McGraw, a funeral director since 1981, tells me the last two months have been “unprecedented,” he draws my undivided attention. McGraw explained that during the regular course of business, he picks up approximately two thirds of his decedents at long term care facilities or at private residences.

As a result, COVID testing has often not been feasible. During February and March, he said that many of those cause-of-deaths were recorded as COPD, Sepsis or pneumonia. Today, McGraw and...