(CSi)  Governor Doug Burgum held another COVID-19 news briefing Wednesday afternoon at the state capital in Bismarck.

ND Dept of Health Joint Information Center press briefing with Governor Doug Burgum 5/20

ND Dept of Health Joint Information Center press briefing with Governor Doug Burgum 5/20Briefing will begin at approximately 3:30pm CT

Posted by North Dakota Department of Health on Wednesday, May 20, 2020

 

Burgum said the Wednesday news briefing was the 50th held, since the beginning of the pandemic.

He pointed out that the phase the state is in now, the state continues to manage risk factors, slowing the spread, and advancing tests, contact tracing, and targeted testing.

The Department of Health said Wednesday another 102 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since Tuesday, bring the total number of cases to 2,095. Cass County, which remains the epicenter of the state’s coronavirus outbreak, has 49 additional cases.

 

NDDoH

Posted Wed. May 20, 2020  11-a.m.

Positive COVID-19 Test Results
Results listed are from the previous day.

INDIVIDUAL WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

  • Man in his 60s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 70s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 80s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 60s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TODAY

  • Burleigh County – 3
  • Cass County – 49
  • Grand Forks – 2
  • Morton County – 23
  • Nelson County – 1
  • Richland County – 2
  • Stutsman County – 1
  • Stutsman County Total 17
  • Traill County – 18
  • Walsh County – 1
  • Ward County – 1
  • Williams County – 1


BY THE NUMBERS

72,003 – Total Number of Tests Completed* (+2,105 total tests from yesterday)

 

59,200 – Total Unique Individuals Tested* (+1,469 unique individuals from yesterday)

57,105 – Total Negative (+1,368 unique individuals from yesterday)

2,095 – Total Positive (+102 unique individuals from yesterday)
Please note that after investigation a previously reported case from Cass County was from out of state.

6.9% – Daily Positivity Rate

 

142 – Total Hospitalized (+7 individuals from yesterday)

38 – Currently Hospitalized (+8 individuals from yesterday)

1,302 – Total Recovered (+33 individuals from yesterday)

49 – Total Deaths (+4 individual from yesterday)

 

* Note that this does not include individuals from out of state and has been updated to reflect the most recent information discovered after cases were investigated.

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

Burgum said North Dakota continues to provide data on cases, to keep residents informed.

For the most updated and timely information and updates related to COVID-19, visit the NDDoH website at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Burgum pointed out that so far the number of positive cases show 60 percent are men, and 40 percent women.

Cass and Grand Forks Counties still have the largest number of active cases.

Traill County’s positive numbers are increasing at a faster pace than previously.  Burgum said increased testing is showing a jump in individuals that are positive with the virus, affecting the daily numbers of positives counted.

Burgum announced that North Dakota will launch a new smartphone application using exposure notification technology developed by Apple and Google and made available today to public health agencies to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing. The app, named Care19 Exposure, is expected to be available within the next two weeks. 

 In addition to the new app, North Dakota will continue to offer its existing Care19 app, which will be rebranded as Care19 Diary. The existing app, launched for iPhone on April 7 and for Android on April 21, now has more than 33,400 users in North Dakota. Data is collected anonymously in both applications, and participation is always voluntary. 

Burgum said,North Dakota is excited to be among the first states in the nation to utilize the exposure notification technology built by Apple and Google to help keep our citizens safe.  The Care19 Exposure app will help us improve contact tracing and continue our ND Smart Restart by notifying people who may have been exposed to COVID-19, reaching the greatest number of people in a way that protects their privacy. As we respond to this unprecedented public health emergency, we invite other states to join us in leveraging smartphone technologies to strengthen existing contact tracing efforts, which are critical to getting communities and economies back up and running.

The Care19 Exposure app will use the Bluetooth proximity technology provided in the joint Apple/Google exposure notification solution. When an individual is identified as COVID-19 positive, they can consent to allow notifications to be sent anonymously to close contacts so they can take the appropriate actions. The existing Care19 app is a memory aid that uses GPS location data to help users who test positive for COVID-19 recall where they’ve visited in the last 14 days to assist in the contact tracing process. 

Those called by the health department will be asked questions concerning contacts outside of the positive person.  Personal information remains anonymous.

He said the race and ethnicities  are requested, to track  certain demographics in positive cases.

He added that frontline workers are among those who  need to be specifically identified, along with minorities, being more vulnerable to COVID-19.

With behaviorial health, he noted the 500 tests were conducted this week at the State Hospital in Jamestown, and noted safety measures to halt the spread including screenings of new patients, and staff members.

With workforce, he said the State Health Department has a number of job openings that are listed on their web site, and NDresponse.com

He recognized college students who have transitioned from on campus to distance learning, many of whom are interning at the state lab.