Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Dec 31

CSi Weather…  SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

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

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

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

.MONDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

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

.TUESDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows 15 to 20.

.WEDNESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s.

There is the possibility fog could return late Thursday night into Friday morning. With temperatures expected to be in the teens, any fog that does form could bring some slick roads and reduced visibility. Those traveling Thursday night will want to check the latest road and weather conditions.

Next week, a slightly more developed upper low could then move through Tuesday into Wednesday. This does have the potential to bring a chance of snow across the region. Deterministic models indicating this could be more of split low set up, with WPC Cluster Analysis favoring the southern wave of this split.  A moderate confidence of a slight cooling trend for mid next week.

NDDoH

DECEMBER 30 UPDATE: Due to the increase in antigen screening across the state and the increase in negative result reporting, the total tests and percent positivity will include both antigen and PCR results. Hover over the question mark in the corner of the box on the NDDoH web page to get more information on the data category. 

PLEASE NOTE: 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!

11-a.m.

Thurs.

Dec. 31, 2020

Barnes County

New Positives:  9

Total Positives: 1242

Active: 29

Recovered: 1186

 

Stutsman County

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

New Positives:  14

Total Positives:  3133

Active:  114

Recovered: 2933

More information pending

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

 

• Beginning December 30, the total tests and percent positivity will include both antigen and PCR results. This is due to the increase in antigen screening across the state and the increase in negative result reporting.
• There will not be a daily news release or updated website/dashboard on New Year’s Day – Friday, January 1. Regular updates will resume on Saturday. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!

 

BY THE NUMBERS

9,023 – Total Tests from Yesterday*

1,352,502 – Total tests completed since the pandemic began

Now includes PCR and antigen combined.

303 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

229 – PCR Tests | 74 – antigen tests
92,495 – Total positive individuals since the pandemic began

3.86% – Daily Positivity Rate**

Now includes PCR and antigen.

 

1,889 – Total Active Cases

+68 Individuals from yesterday

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

89,314 – Total recovered since the pandemic began

94 – Currently Hospitalized

-2 – Individuals from yesterday

 

10 – New Deaths since yesterday*** (1,292 total deaths since the pandemic began)

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

• Man in his 80s from Burleigh County.
• Woman in her 90s from Cass County.
• Woman in her 60s from Cass County.
• Man in his 50s from Grand Forks County.
• Man in his 90s from Hettinger County.
• Man in his 80s from McKenzie County.
• Man in his 90s from Morton County.
• Man in his 80s from Ramsey County.
• Man in his 60s from Stark County.
• Woman in her 70s from Williams County.

 

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED THURDAY

• Barnes County – 9
• Benson County – 2
• Bottineau County – 2
• Bowman County – 2
• Burleigh County – 27
• Cass County – 81
• Cavalier County – 1
• Dickey County – 3
• Emmons County – 1
• Golden Valley County – 5
• Grand Forks County – 17
• LaMoure County – 4
• Logan County – 2
• McHenry County – 1
• McKenzie County – 4
• McLean County – 1
• Mercer County – 1
• Morton County – 9
• Mountrail County – 4
• Nelson County – 1
• Pembina County – 1
• Pierce County – 2
• Ramsey County – 8
• Ransom County – 4
• Richland County – 11
• Rolette County – 7
• Sargent County – 2
• Sheridan County – 1
• Slope County – 1
• Stark County – 16
• Steele County – 1
• Stutsman County – 14
• Traill County – 1
• Walsh County – 15
• Ward County – 31
• Williams County – 11

 

* 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.

Bismarck  (NDDoH) – The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) provided an update Thursday regarding COVID-19 vaccine priority groups. Molly Howell, NDDoH Immunization Director, says, “Vaccine distribution in North Dakota has gone well the first three weeks. Although vaccine supply continues to be very limited, North Dakotans should monitor messaging from their local health departments and health care providers for more information on when they are able to be vaccinated.”

The North Dakota COVID-19 Vaccination Ethics Committee, which includes a physician, ethicist, local public health representative, representative of the Department of Human Services and a representative of the Department of Health, has recommended who should receive the still-limited supply of the vaccine.

Though health care providers are still working through Phase 1A—comprised of frontline health care workers, first responders and long-term care residents and staff—the ethics committee has prioritized who will qualify for Phases 1B and 1C.

 

Phase 1B (in order of priority):

• Persons age 75 and older
• Persons age 65 – 74 with two or more high-risk medical conditions
• Staff and persons living in other congregate settings (i.e., corrections, group homes, treatment centers, homeless shelters, etc.)
• Persons age 65 and older with one or more high-risk medical conditions
• Persons age 65 and older with or without high-risk medical conditions
• Persons with two or more high-risk medical conditions regardless of age
• Child care workers
• Workers employed by preschools or Kindergarten through 12^th grade:
  • Teachers, nutritional services, aides, bus drivers, principals, administrative staff, custodians, etc.

 

Phase 1C (in order of priority):

• North Dakota National Guard, not previously covered
• Grocery Workers
• Public safety answering points (911)
• Manufacturing related to the development or supply of COVID-19 vaccine
• Other health care/public health workers not included in phase 1A
• Free standing clinical laundries
• Public transit, including bus, taxi, ride-share
• Persons age 16 – 64 with one or more high-risk medical conditions
• Blood bank workers not previously vaccinated
• Information technology
• All other essential workers per Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

 

NDDoH will announce when the state will move on to Phase 1B. It is anticipated that this may occur in mid-January. Depending on local vaccine acceptance and supply, it is possible that different areas of the state may be vaccinating within different priority levels.

 

In the future, vaccinefinder.org will be populated with more information about vaccine availability in different areas across North Dakota. Following Phase 1C, the state will move to Phase 2, which includes the general public.

 

Citizens wishing to be vaccinated during their phase can call their health care provider or local public health department to determine when they can receive their vaccination.

 

To date, 19,097 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 and phases of vaccination, visit health.nd.gov/covidvaccine.

Jamestown (CSi) The All Vets Club in Jamestown is inviting vets to a free dinner on New Year’s Eve for all area veterans. The two seating times are 5-p.m. and 7-p.m.

Those planning to attend are asked to call 252-8994 for a reservation time to maintain safety protocols and social distancing. Meal choices include seafood and steak.

On New Year’s Day, the club will have free Tom and Jerrys starting at 10 a.m. until gone followed by family bingo at around 11:30 a.m. All in the community are welcome. People are asked to mask up or social distance.

The club asks the public to remember military personnel who can’t be with their families during the holiday season.

The club directors appreciates the public’s patronage and support during this time.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Lawmakers convene Tuesday either in person wearing masks or remotely for North Dakota’s 67th legislative session. The session comes as lawmakers face tough spending choices amid a pandemic that’s hit a state economy already reeling from depressed oil and agriculture prices. Ambitious billion-dollar bonding proposals from Republicans, Democrats and Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to highlight the session. The session also will mark the first in state history that forbids lawmakers from taking gifts, meals or other things of value from lobbyists and others under new voter-approved ethics rules.

Washington  The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that the deadline to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for the COVID-19 Pandemic disaster declaration is extended to Dec. 31, 2021. The deadline extension comes as a result of the recent bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress and enacted by President Trump on Dec. 27, 2020.

To date, the SBA has approved $197 billion in low-interest loans which provides working capital funds to help small businesses, non-profits and agricultural businesses make it through this challenging time.

EIDL loan applications will continue to be accepted through December 2021, pending the availability of funds. Loans are offered with a 3.75% interest rate for small businesses and 2.75% interest rate for nonprofit organizations, a 30-year maturity, and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin. Every eligible small business and nonprofit are encouraged to apply to get the resources they need.

In world and national news…

ATLANTA (AP) — Exposure to the coronavirus has forced Georgia Sen. David Perdue into quarantine just five days before the state’s high-stakes Senate runoff elections. The Republican senator’s campaign said in a statement that Perdue and his wife learned Thursday morning they had been in close contact with a staffer who tested positive for COVID-19. The statement says Perdue and his wife both tested negative for the virus but had gone into quarantine in accordance with federal health guidelines. Perdue and fellow GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler are both on the runoff ballot Tuesday facing Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. President Donald Trump has scheduled a Georgia rally to support the Republicans on Monday.

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.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has surpassed 25,000 deaths from coronavirus. The state became the third in the U.S. to reach the number, behind New York and Texas. The grim milestone comes as the state experiences a surge that has swamped hospitals with COVID-19 patients in Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley. Hospitals are housing patients in hallways, conference rooms, a cafeteria and gift shops. Makeshift hospitals are being set up in tents, arenas and schools.

 

(AP)  New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 1 million residents with the coronavirus vaccine in January. The mayor noted Thursday that meeting the target would require outside cooperation and the city dramatically increasing access to the vaccine. Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi says officials want to double citywide access points to at least 250 sites. Those would include hospitals, community health centers and urgent care clinics. The city also plans to double its 150,000-dose-a-week capacity during January. The city has vaccinated 88,000 people since doses became available Dec. 14.

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — New police bodycam footage shows that multiple Ohio police officers stood by for several minutes without offering any first aid to Andre Hill after he was shot by a Columbus officer. Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, later died after being shot on Dec. 22 by a white officer. The footage shows that at one point two officers handcuffed Hill, but did not offer any aid. Police Chief Thomas Quinlan says he was horrified by the lack of compassion shown in the body cam videos. Officer Adam Coy who shot Hill was fired this week and remains under investigation.

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland prosecutors aren’t charging any police officers in the shooting death of a man whose family says he was sleeping in his bed next to his girlfriend when police opened fire. Family attorney Rene Sandler told The Associated Press that Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson Jr. informed the parents and girlfriend of 21-year-old Duncan Lemp of the decision Thursday. Sandler says Gibson’s office concluded that police in neighboring Montgomery County were justified in using deadly force. A spokeswoman for Gibson didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Lemp’s shooting in March galvanized a loose network of anti-government extremists who hail him as a martyr.

 

(AP) Former federal attorney general and Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh has died at age 88. Thornburgh died Thursday morning at a retirement community facility outside Pittsburgh, his son David said. The cause is not yet known. Thornburgh built a reputation as a crime-busting federal prosecutor in Pittsburgh and won praise for his cool handling as governor of the Three Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown in 1979.

 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. farmers are expected to end the year with higher profits than last year and the best net farm income in seven years thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income forecast. Farmer challenges in 2020 included the impact of trade disputes, drought and wind damage, and low prices for corn, cotton, wheat, chicken, cattle and hogs. Farm cash receipts are forecast to be the lowest in more than a decade. But farmers are expected to receive $46.5 billion from the U.S. government. That’s the largest direct-to-farm payment ever. It lifts net farm income to $119.6 billion. And that’s the highest profitability since 2013.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is ending a chaotic session like few others. It started with the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, was riven by impeachment and a pandemic, and now closes with a rare rebuff by Republicans of President Donald Trump. GOP senators are ignoring the outgoing president’s demand to increase the $600 COVID-19 aid checks to $2,000. They are poised to override his veto of a major defense bill. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is trying to bridge the divide. He says Congress could try again to approve bigger COVID aid checks after the new session opens Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Congress has provided enough pandemic aid, for now.