AND WHATEVER, BUT JUST TRY TO
BE CAREFUL.
ONE OF MINNESOTA'S TOP
LEADERS THROUGHOUT THIS CRISIS
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S
DIRECTOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE,
CHRIS ERISMAN.
I SPOKE WITH HER EARLIER THIS
MORNING.
JOINING US THIS MORNING IS
THE DIRECTOR OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASE FOR THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US
YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
HAPPY TO DO IT.
LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
CASES, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD AN
ALARMING SPIKE IN CASES HERE IN
MINNESOTA AND WE HAVE ONE OF
THE FASTEST RISING RATES IN THE
COUNTRY OF COVID-19. ARE YOU
CONCERNED?
CERTAINLY, YES, WE ARE
TAKING IT VERY SERIOUSLY, BUT
WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN
TESTING IN AREAS THAT WE EXPECT
TO FIND CASES.
WE HAVE BEEN TESTING IN LONG-
TERM CARE FACILITIES AND WE'VE
GOTTEN A LOT OF TESTING IN
PLANTS AND MANUFACTURING WHERE
WE KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN
CASES.
SO OUR HIGH POSITIVITY RATE IS
SOMEWHAT EXPECTED.
THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE
AREN'T FOLLOWING IT AND THAT IT
ISN'T, THAT WE DON'T HAVE SOME
CONCERNS, BUT WE ARE TESTING IN
AREAS WHERE WE EXPECT TO SEE
CASES.
SO WE ARE JUST TESTING RANDOMLY
ACROSS THE POPULATION AND SING
HIGH RATES.
WE ARE TESTING IN PLACES WHERE
WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CASES.
WE TALK ABOUT TESTING, I
THINK WE NEED TO MENTION THE
TOTAL TESTS FROM YESTERDAY,
MORE THAN 8000 TESTS.
OBVIOUSLY, A RECORD.
THE GOVERNOR HAS TALKED ABOUT.
YOU TALKED ABOUT IT.
EVERYONE HAS TALKED ABOUT ON
THOSE CALLS.
THIS IS HONESTLY GOING IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE HAVE AND RAMPING UP
CAPACITY, AND WE ARE TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF THAT CAPACITY.
WE WANT ANYONE WHO HAS SYMPTOMS
OF COVID-19 TO GO IN AND GET
TESTED AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THE TESTING THAT'S AVAILABLE.
THAT IS SOMETHING, BECAUSE A
LOT OF MINNESOTANS, AND I THINK
ESPECIALLY MEN ARE PROBABLY
WELL, I'VE GOT MAYBE A SLIGHT
FEVER OR A COUGH, SHOULD THEY
GO IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE?
YES.
WE WOULD RECOMMEND IF YOU HAVE
ANY SYMPTOMS THAT YOU DO GO IN.
AND IF YOU GO TO THE DEPARTMENT
WEBSITE, WE HAVE INFORMATION ON
THINGS YOU CAN LOOK AT, BUT WE
KNOW THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS HAVE
MORE MILD SYMPTOMS.
AND SO IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH
GETTING TESTED IF YOU DO HAVE
ANY SYMPTOMS.
ONE OF THE SAVING GRACES OF
COVID-19 APPEARS TO BE THAT IT
DIDN'T AFFECT YOUNG CHILDREN OR
CHILDREN.
AND NOW THAT SEEMS NOT TO BE
THE CASE.
I KNOW YOU PUT OUT AN APPEAL ON
FRIDAY SAYING THIS NEW DISEASE,
THIS NEW VIRAL DISEASE, THIS
MYSTERY ILLNESS IS AFFECTING
CHILDREN.
HAVE YOU FOUND ANY CASES IN
MINNESOTA?
AT THIS POINT, WE ARE STILL
WAITING TO HEAR FROM PROVIDERS,
BUT WE ASK THAT THEY REPORT TO
US IF THEY HAD ANY CASES OR ANY
SITUATIONS THAT THEY FELT MET
THE DEFINITION OF THIS MULTI-
OREGON INFLAMMATORY SITUATION
IN CHILDREN.
AND I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT
WE ARE LOOKING AT 21 AND UNDER.
SO WHEN WE SAY CHILDREN, PEOPLE
THINK OF PRESCHOOL, BUT IT IS
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS HERE?
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK OUT
FOR?
IS THIS HAS BEEN DEADLY.
IN A NUMBER OF CASES.
YES.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DEATHS
ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
IT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM, THEN THEY ALSO CITED
NEW YORK.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
HAVE ALERTED PROVIDERS AND THAT
THEY ARE LETTING US KNOW IF
THEY SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
WHAT THEY WOULD BE LOOKING FOR
IS IN CHILDREN WHO HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, IF THEY
SEE OBVIOUSLY FEVER WHICH IS TO
BE EXPECTED, BUT THEN ALSO
SHOCK AND MULTI-OREGON
INVOLVEMENT, ELEVATED
INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND
SOMETIMES THESE KIDS CAN HAVE
SOME SIMILAR SYMPTOMS TO WHAT
IS CALLED KAWASAKI DISEASE
WHICH CAN INCLUDE INFLAMED
LYMPH NODES OF THE NECK AS WELL
AS A CHAPPED RAW LIP AND MOUTH
AND THROAT.
WE ARE ASKING PROVIDERS TO BE
ALERT FOR THIS AND WE WILL BE
MONITORING IN MINNESOTA.
IT IS RARE. I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT IS
BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT IT IS RARE
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE AREN'T MISSING ANYTHING HERE.
THAT IS GREAT INFORMATION.
I HAVE NOT HEARD UNTIL YOU JUST
SAID THAT THAT IT IS ALSO TEENS
UP TO THE AGE OF 21.
YES.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT, CHILDREN, I
WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT IF YOU
ARE 18 OR 19, YOU MAY NOT
APPRECIATE BEING LUMPED INTO
THE CATEGORY OF CHILDREN.
SO IT IS UP THROUGH AGE 21.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK
YOU FOR BEING ALWAYS AVAILABLE
TO TALK TO US.
I KNOW YOU HAVE SO MUCH GOING
ON.