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Stories from April 15, 2020

Officials say COVID-19 antibody testing is crucial to reopening business — but what is it?

Officials say COVID-19 antibody testing is crucial to reopening business — but what is it?

State officials are pointing to COVID-19 antibody tests as potentially important tools for reopening the economy. They may provide insight into how widespread the virus is, and how long it’s been here. But they’re issuing caution against a flood of tests on the market that may not be reliable or accurate.
by Catharine Richert

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Ambulance providers say they have enough PPE for now; it's lack of calls that worries them

Ambulance providers say they have enough PPE for now; it's lack of calls that worries them

Minnesota ambulance crews are seeing a drop in calls. They worry people are forgoing help because they’re afraid to ride in an ambulance that has transported COVID-19 patients.
by Tom Crann and Kyle Shiely

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Losing a dad to coronavirus

Losing a dad to coronavirus

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of dozens of Minnesotans. Mark Novak remembers his father, Leonard Novak, who died from the virus in a New Hope nursing home.
by Tarkor Zehn and Tom Crann

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Experts on reopening the economy: ‘There’s so much uncertainty’

Experts on reopening the economy: ‘There’s so much uncertainty’

There are more questions than answers when it comes to the future of the economy post-pandemic. We turned to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis for his views on federal stimulus funding and who is hardest hit right now.
by Kerri Miller, MPR News Staff and Breann Schossow

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Despite urgency, testing lags

Minnesota posted another decline today in the number of daily tests being run for COVID-19. That’s as Governor Tim Walz and health officials continue to emphasize how critical testing is for controlling the outbreak — and to inform any plan to restart the economy. MPR News evening update for April 15, 2020. Hosted by Tim Nelson and Britta Greene.

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Trump says the U.S. is past its peak on new coronavirus cases

Trump says the U.S. is past its peak on new coronavirus cases

Trump on Wednesday told reporters the United States appears to be through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in regards to the number of new cases being diagnosed.
by Alana Wise

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Report: Adding Trump's name to checks will delay them. IRS says they're on schedule

Report: Adding Trump's name to checks will delay them. IRS says they're on schedule

The IRS said the economic relief payments "are going out on schedule, as planned, without delay." “The Washington Post” reported that Trump's name would be included on the checks, an unprecedented step.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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Walz signs affordable insulin bill

Walz signs affordable insulin bill

Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Wednesday that guarantees access to affordable insulin. After months of negotiations, the Legislature voted overwhelmingly for the measure on Tuesday.
by Brian Bakst

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U of M's new low-cost ventilator gets FDA approval

U of M's new low-cost ventilator gets FDA approval

The FDA’s decision means the new, simple ventilator developed by engineers and doctors at the University of Minnesota can be built and distributed to health systems. The U of M is open sourcing the design so they can be easily produced.
by Tim Nelson and MPR News Staff

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Best Buy to furlough more than 50,000 workers due to COVID-19

Best Buy to furlough more than 50,000 workers due to COVID-19

Company CEO Corie Barry announced the job cuts Wednesday, saying nearly all part-time workers were being laid off, although eligible employees are keeping health insurance coverage at no cost for three months.
by Tim Nelson

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Major League Baseball joins the fight against coronavirus in a big way

Major League Baseball joins the fight against coronavirus in a big way

Major League Baseball plans to test up to 10,000 players, employees and their families to detect COVID-19 antibodies. The hope is to see how prevalent the infection rate is in the general population.
by Tom Goldman

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Oil prices keep slipping as demand drops by record amounts

Oil prices keep slipping as demand drops by record amounts

The International Energy Agency says the industry is about to test the limit of how much oil it can transport and store, given the phenomenal drop in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
by Camila Domonoske

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Retail spending just fell off a cliff

Retail spending just fell off a cliff

Americans are still spending a fair amount on food and online deliveries, but the shutdowns of stores, malls and restaurants led to a record 8.7 percent sales drop in March.
by Alina Selyukh

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Policast: Insulin plan passes but bipartisan spirit fades

The Legislature passes an emergency insulin plan but bipartisan support is slipping for the governor’s coronavirus orders
by Mike Mulcahy

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Yes, this has been a very cold week for mid-April

Wednesday remains cold with light afternoon snow, but overall the rest of the week remains fairly dry and temperatures will be on the rise.
by Nicole Mitchell

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How expanded testing would work in Minnesota

Gov. Tim Walz coined the phrase “Minnesota moonshot” to refer to his goal for COVID-19 testing in the coming weeks. Professor Rebecca Wurtz at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about some of the logistics of how this expanded testing might work.
by MPR News Staff

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WHO sets 6 conditions for ending a coronavirus lockdown

WHO sets 6 conditions for ending a coronavirus lockdown

The easing of shutdowns is a hot topic, as economic output is now stalled in many countries — including the U.S. But ending a shutdown too soon could backfire, the World Health Organization says.
by Bill Chappell

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Elizabeth Warren backs Biden, extending display of party unity

Elizabeth Warren backs Biden, extending display of party unity

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has given former Vice President Joe Biden the third high-profile endorsement this week, along with Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders.
by Elena Moore

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Wednesday stays cold with afternoon flurries

Wednesday is going to continue the trend of the past two days with cold weather, breezier conditions in the afternoon and light snow chances.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Antibody tests for coronavirus can miss the mark

Antibody tests for coronavirus can miss the mark

Antibody tests to detect past exposure to the coronavirus will soon be everywhere. But even the best ones can provide wrong answers surprisingly often — and give false assurance.
by Richard Harris

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People with disabilities fear pandemic will worsen medical biases

People with disabilities fear pandemic will worsen medical biases

As medical providers prepare for the possibility that they may have to ration care, many people with disabilities fear they will get lesser treatment.
by Joseph Shapiro

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April 15 update on COVID-19 in MN: 87 dead; Walz says state must 'go it alone' on testing

April 15 update on COVID-19 in MN: 87 dead; Walz says state must 'go it alone' on testing

Gov. Tim Walz drew a bright line Wednesday tying a successful reopening of Minnesota’s economy to a massive increase in COVID-19 testing, making it clear that one could not happen without the other. He acknowledged ramping up will be a huge challenge.
by MPR News Staff

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Portraits of Valor: Dan Cylkowski, 94, Army

Portraits of Valor: Dan Cylkowski, 94, Army

The son of a World War I veteran and with a brother in the Air Corps, he was proud to join the Army: “…I’m going there to serve my country.”
by Evan Frost

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State officials expect virus to take greater toll on racial minorities

State officials expect virus to take greater toll on racial minorities

COVID-19 is more deadly for African Americans than it is for whites, according to early data from several states and major metropolitan areas. So far, Minnesota has not detected racial differences in deaths from the virus. But given the state’s well-documented disparities in health and access to health care, experts suspect the pandemic will hurt people of color the most.
by Brandt Williams

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In 'Becoming Wild,' Carl Safina takes us inside the cultures of animals

In 'Becoming Wild,' Carl Safina takes us inside the cultures of animals

Combining the knowledge of a seasoned scientist and the skills of a good storyteller, the ecologist-author invites us to leave our cultural worlds and enter some animal ones to see just how they work.
by Barbara J. King

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History Forum: Some historical perspective on the role of government

History Forum: Some historical perspective on the role of government

Miami University professor Steve Conn gives some historical perspective about the role of government at the Minnesota Historical Society’s History Forum.
by MPR News Staff

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