– Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Dec 30

CSi Weather…

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows 5 to 10 above. South winds around 10 mph.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 20s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 10. Temperature steady or slowly rising after midnight. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Wind 5 to 10 mph.

.NEW YEAR’S DAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 20s. Northwest

winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows around 10.

.SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s.

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the mid 20s.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows 15 to 20.

.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

Bismarck (NDDoH) – The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) Wednesday reported two suspected severe allergic reactions after individuals received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The two individuals from North Dakota had no history of anaphylactic reactions and the two incidences were unrelated. The symptoms were discovered during the 15-minute post-vaccination observation period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both individuals have recovered, and neither was hospitalized. Both have been advised not to receive second doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Molly Howell, NDDoH Immunization Director, says, “These allergic reactions are taken very seriously. While they are rare, North Dakota health care providers are prepared to handle these types of events. COVID hospitalizations and deaths continue to be a far greater risk for North Dakotans, with about 1 in 600 North Dakotans having died with COVID-19 and 1 in 250 being hospitalized. The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19.”

The NDDoH has been in close contact with the CDC and the reactions were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). VAERS is a national vaccine safety surveillance program run by CDC and the Food and Drug Administration. The CDC follows up on all severe events to better understand and determine the potential causes and safety risk.

Anaphylaxis following vaccines is rare, occurring at a rate of approximately one per million doses for other types of vaccines. Anyone who receives COVID-19 vaccine is recommended to be monitored for 15 minutes after vaccination; 30 minutes for those with a prior history of anaphylaxis. Those who have a known allergy to a component of COVID-19 vaccine should not receive the vaccine. Earlier this month at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, it was reported that CDC had received six case reports of anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination.

To date, 13,037 health care workers and long-term care residents in North Dakota have received their COVID-19 vaccination. More than 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit health.nd.gov/covidvaccine.

North Dakota health officials say the number of hospitalizations due to complications from the coronavirus has dipped below 100 for the first time in more than three months. Health officials said Wednesday the number of people receiving treatment in medical facilities dropped by 19 in the last day, for a total of 96. The hospitalizations were last in double figures on Sept. 24 and topped 300 for more than a week in mid-November. The state’s hospital tracker shows there were 31 staffed intensive care unit beds and 327 staffed inpatient beds available throughout North Dakota as of Tuesday. The update showed 375 new COVID-19 cases in the last day, out of 8,944 tests. That’s a positivity rate of 4.74%.

NDDoH

Wed. Dec. 30, 2020

Barnes County

New Positives: 6

Total Positives: 1233

Active: 21

Recovered: 1186

Stutsman County

Antigen tests (BinaxNOW, etc.) were added to the website beginning Dec. 9.

New Positives: 20

Total Positives: 3119

Active: 116

Recovered: 2933

COVID-19 Test Results
The results listed are from the previous day. Additional data can be found on the NDDoH website.

Due to the increase in antigen screening across the state and the increase in negative result reporting, beginning today, the total tests and percent positivity will include both antigen and PCR results.
There will not be a daily news release or updated website/dashboard on New Year’s Day – Friday, January 1. Normal updates will resume on Saturday. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!

BY THE NUMBERS

8,944 – Total Tests from Yesterday*

1,343,600 – Total tests completed since the pandemic began

Now includes PCR and antigen.

375 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

256 – PCR Tests | 119 – antigen tests
92,201 – Total positive individuals since the pandemic began

4.74% – Daily Positivity Rate**

Now includes PCR and antigen.

1,821 – Total Active Cases

+120 Individuals from yesterday

219 – with a recovery date of yesterday****

89,099 – Total recovered since the pandemic began

96 – Currently Hospitalized

-19 – Individuals from yesterday

6 – New Deaths since yesterday*** (1,282 total deaths since the pandemic began)

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

Woman in her 80s from Burleigh County.
Man in his 80s from Burleigh County.
Woman in her 90s from Logan County.
Woman in her 100s from McLean County.
Woman in her 60s from McLean County.
Man in his 60s from Ward County.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED WEDNESDAY

Barnes County – 6
Benson County – 13
Billings County – 1
Bottineau County – 1
Bowman County – 2
Burke County – 2
Burleigh County – 35
Cass County – 72
Cavalier County – 1
Dickey County – 17
Dunn County – 2
Emmons County – 2
Foster County – 1
Golden Valley County – 1
Grand Forks County – 20
Kidder County – 1
LaMoure County – 3
Logan County – 1
McKenzie County – 2
McLean County – 2
Mercer County – 6
Morton County – 15
Mountrail County – 6
Nelson County – 2
Pierce County – 1
Ramsey County – 10
Ransom County – 10
Renville County – 1
Richland County – 12
Rolette County – 21
Sargent County – 2
Sioux County – 2
Stark County – 20
Steele County – 1
Stutsman County – 20
Towner County – 3
Traill County – 2
Walsh County – 10
Ward County – 24
Wells County – 2
Williams County – 20

* Note that this includes PCR and antigen; it does not include individuals from out of state.

**Individuals (PCR or antigen) who tested positive divided by the total number of people tested who have not previously tested positive (susceptible encounters).

*** Number of individuals who tested positive with a PCR or antigen test and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19. Please remember that deaths are reported as they’re reported to us by the facility or through the official death record (up to 10-day delay).

**** The actual date individuals are officially out of isolation and no longer contagious.

*****Daily positive numbers include people who tested with a PCR or antigen test. Totals may be adjusted as individuals are found to live out of state, in another county, or as other information is found during investigation.

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.

Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown city crews began plowing residential areas at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday December 30, 2020. Crews will continue to work during the night with the downtown district beginning at 11:00 p.m.
City Ordinance Section 25-10 requires that a property owner keeps the sidewalk adjoining the property clear of snow and ice. Do not deposit snow or ice on the City street after the City plow has cleared the street. These violations are Class B Misdemeanors under the general penalty and will result in a fine.
PLEASE NOTE:
The above schedule is contingent upon changing weather conditions and snow accumulation totals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two strategic U.S. bombers have flown over the Persian Gulf in response to what U.S. officials say are worrying signs that Iran may be planning attacks against American or allied targets in the Middle East in the coming days. The B-52 bomber mission, flown round trip from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, was the second of its kind this month. The missions reflect growing concern in Washington, in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, that Iran will order further military retaliation for the U.S. government’s killing last Jan. 3 of top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

In world and national news…

DENVER (AP) — The first person in the U.S. reported infected with a new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus has been identified as a Colorado National Guardsman who had been sent to help out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak. And health officials say a second Guard member may be infected, too. The cases have triggered a host of questions about how the mutant version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now. Some top experts say it is probably already spreading in this country. The discovery has also added urgency to the nation’s vaccination drive.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The death of Louisiana’s newest Republican member of the U.S. House from complications related to COVID-19 stunned the state’s political circles and became the latest brutal reminder of how dangerous the coronavirus can be. Luke Letlow passed away Tuesday, only days before he would have been sworn in to office. He was 41. His spokesman Andrew Bautsch confirmed the congressman-elect’s death. Letlow was elected in a December runoff and was set to take office in January. He was admitted to a Monroe hospital on Dec. 19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was later transferred to Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport and placed in intensive care, where he died.

LONDON (AP) — Britain has become the first country to authorize AstraZeneca’s inexpensive, easy-to-handle COVID-19 vaccine. The move offers Britain another weapon against the virus amid a resurgence so severe that the government extended lockdowns to three-quarters of England’s population. The country also changed course by deciding to dispense the first dose of its vaccines to as many people as possible right away, to give them at least some protection. Until now, authorities have been holding large amounts of vaccine in reserve, to make sure those who receive the first dose get the required second one on time.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government says that passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before they arrive in the country. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday the measure will be implemented in the next few days. Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days. The decision came a day after the premier of Canada’s largest province said he had ordered his finance minister to end a Caribbean vacation, saying he is “extremely disappointed” the official went abroad at a time the government is urging people to avoid nonessential travel because of the pandemic.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dawn Wells, who played the wholesome Mary Ann on the 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” has died. Her publicist says Wells died Wednesday morning in Los Angeles of causes related to COVID-19. Besides TV, film and stage acting credits, her other real-life roles included teacher and motivational speaker. Born in Reno, Nevada, Wells represented her state in the 1959 Miss America pageant and quickly pivoted to an acting career. Her early TV roles came on shows including “77 Sunset Strip,” “Maverick” and “Bonanza.” Then came “Gilligan’s Island,” a goofy, good-natured show that became an unlikely but indelible part of popular culture. Dawn Wells was 82 years old.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican senator says he’ll object when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri says he’ll protest the Electoral College certification because “some states, including notably Pennsylvania” didn’t follow their election laws. A Biden spokeswoman is dismissing Hawley’s move as “antics” that will have no bearing on Biden being sworn in on Jan. 20. Hawley isn’t giving specifics or evidence in the statement he released announcing his intentions. Hawley’s move is likely to force votes in the House and Senate that would delay the certification of Biden’s win, but not change the outcome.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Majority Democrats in the U.S. House say they intend to allow an Iowa Republican to take office while they review her opponent’s contest claiming the six-vote race was wrongly decided. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “yes” when asked at a news conference whether Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be sworn in with other members of the House on Sunday. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said later that Democrats “intend to provisionally seat” Miller-Meeks pending a review of the challenge filed by her Democratic opponent. Rita Hart asked the House to investigate and overturn the state-certified results. The House Administration Committee is reviewing the matter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks is all but dead in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing an alternative approach of loading up the bill with other White House priorities that appears destined to fail. With Republicans deeply divided over providing more aid, McConnell is trying to provide an offramp for GOP senators to avoid a tough vote. The stonewalling drew criticism from all corners — Trump, Democrats and leading Republicans. But McConnell is unmoved. His new bill includes the formation of a commission to investigate the 2020 election as well as a complicated repeal of big tech liability protections. No votes are scheduled.

NEW YORK (AP) — If ever a year’s end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. Yet the coronavirus scourge that dominated the year is also looming over New Year’s festivities and forcing officials worldwide to tone them down. From New York’s Times Square to Sydney Harbor, the pandemic is turning big public blowouts into TV-only shows and digital events. Fireworks displays have been canceled, including on the Las Vegas Strip and at the Arc de Triomphe in curfew-bound Paris. Private parties are restricted in some places, too. The occasion stirs mixed feelings for some people whose sense of joy at the year’s end is muted by its sorrows and the ongoing pandemic.