Gov Burgum’s Weds COVID-19 News Briefing

Bismarck  (CSi)  Governor Doug Burgum held a COVID-19 News Briefing Weds at the State Capital in Bismarck.

 

He was joined by State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler.

With the COVID-19 update

Two more people have died from COVID-19 in North Dakota, bringing the total number of deaths to 56.  The female victims from Cass County were in their 70s and 90s and had underlying health conditions.

NDDDoH

Posted Wed. May 27, 2020

11-a.m.

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

LAB EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION

The lab experienced a recent malfunction on two pieces of lab equipment. Out of an abundance of caution, 82 positive results will be considered inconclusive and the individuals have been asked to retest. All the facilities involved have been notified. The issue was caught quickly and early; the malfunction has been corrected and has not impacted lab processing.

 

The retests will run over the next couple of days – an update will be provided in future news releases and more information will be provided at the news conference on Tuesday. For now, the previous results remain in the total positive count and will be adjusted after the results are in. More to come.

 

Total Retests Complete: 74

Positive: 1

Negative: 73

1 individual declined testing and is self-isolate at home

 

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

• Woman in her 90s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.
• Woman in her 70s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED WEDNESDAY

• Cass County – 16
• Grand Forks County – 1

BY THE NUMBERS

86,527 – Total Number of Tests Completed* (+1,048 total tests from yesterday)

 

67,340 – Total Unique Individuals Tested* (+486 unique individuals from yesterday)

64,901 – Total Negative (+469 unique individuals from yesterday)

2,439 – Total Positive (+17 unique individuals from yesterday)

1.6% – Daily Positivity Rate**

161 – Total Hospitalized (+5 individuals from yesterday)

40 – Currently Hospitalized (+0 individuals from yesterday)

1,762 – Total Recovered (+61 individuals from yesterday)

56 – Total Deaths*** (+2 individual from yesterday)

 

Please note that the website is updated to reflect a row in the death data that includes the addition of three individuals where COVID-19 was listed as the cause of death on the official death record, but there was not a positive COVID-19 test. These individuals are presumed positive by the health care provider based on symptoms and/or exposure.  

 

* 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.

**Because the serial tests completed and added to the total number of tests completed can result in new individuals who test positive, the daily positivity rate will be calculated using the total positives for the day by the daily number of tests completed instead of the daily number of unique individuals tested.

 

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

 

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 has appointed University of North Dakota Interim President Joshua Wynne to be the state’s chief health strategist, a new position, and Dr. Andrew Stahl to serve as interim state health officer overseeing the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH). The governor thanked outgoing State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte for her leadership of the NDDoH for over three years, including through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  She resigned to return to the private sector.  She will stay on in an advisory capacity the next three weeks.

As the state’s chief health strategist, Wynne will work within the NDDoH to create a vision and strategy for developing a world-class public health enterprise in partnership with the North Dakota University System (NDUS), local public health entities, the private sector and local, state, federal and tribal governments. Wynne, whose term as UND’s interim president expires May 31, will split his time between the temporary NDDoH leadership position and his role since 2010 as UND’s vice president for health affairs and dean of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks.

Stahl has been providing strategic medical analysis for North Dakota’s COVID-19 response efforts and will begin serving as interim state health officer effective June 1. He has served as an officer in the North Dakota Army National Guard’s Medical Corps since 2009, currently holding the rank of major, and as a member of the Guard’s COVID-19 Task Force since March.

Burgum has granted State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler’s request for an executive order that allows North Dakota’s schools to keep larger financial reserves to pay expenses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Dakota law now penalizes school districts that keep general fund reserves in excess of a specified benchmark. The governor’s new executive order 2020-33, issued Wednesday, says the penalty will not apply for the 2019-20 school budget year, which ends June 30.

Baesler said the order will help local school boards and administrators plan for the best ways to use federal aid that was earmarked to help school districts pay unexpected pandemic-related costs.

She said schools had also budgeted for expenses, such as professional development for teachers and student learning excursions, that were canceled, and the unspent money may put districts over the threshold.

Baesler said the order also preserves school districts’ flexibility in using federal emergency aid. Many districts may want to delay using the money until the next budget year.

With behavioral health, the North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division has been awarded a $2 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the state’s behavioral health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergency Grant to Address Mental and Substance Use Disorders during COVID-19 program focuses on meeting the needs of individuals with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and/or individuals with both serious mental illness and substance use disorders. The program will also support individuals with less severe behavioral health needs, including health care workers, first responders and other frontline personnel.

Burgum said technology has played a critical role in fighting the COVID-19 virus, and the spread. He pointed out that North Dakota female high school students have participated in a national cybersecurity challenge, with North Dakota leading the nation in per capita student participation with 290 girls from 21 North Dakota schools, in the Girl’s go CyberStart program.

He said with the State offices at the capital building having employees returning next week, the goal is to have 50 percent capacity, which he said in the future may save taxpayers money, while some continue to work from home.

He saluted North Dakota artisans and their contribution to the arts and music, internationally, and pointed to North Dakota citizens that have been inducted into the North Dakota Roughrider Hall of Fame, including Jamestown native, Peggy Lee.