– Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Feb 17

CSi Weather…

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of light snow after midnight. Lows around 5 below. South winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.

THURSDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs around 10. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Lowest wind chills around 20 below in the morning.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows around 5 below. West winds

5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs 15 to 20. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows 5 to 10 above.

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

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing.

Lows 15 to 20.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

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

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 20s.

Jamestown – (CSiNewsNow) Central Valley Health is planning a large vaccination clinic for those 65 and older on Thursday February 18.

Register here for the vaccination clinic, or visit the CVHD website at www.centralvalleyhealth.org and click “COVID-19”. Only those 65 and older are eligible to register and appointments are required. Appointments will be limited and once the clinic is full, the online registration will be shut down.

All who have had completed the online Vaccination Interest Survey and are 65 and older have been contacted through phone or email. If a respondent did not hear from CVHD, they may have entered an incorrect phone number or email address on the survey.

CVHD Administrator Robin Iszler adds, “We will be monitoring the registration list and anyone who does not fit the age category or the current priority group will be refused service and will not be vaccinated.”

CVHD is asking for the public’s assistance to find anyone 65 and older, especially those 75 and older, that still want to be vaccinated and help them register for an appointment.

Jamestown (CVHD) Central Valley Health District reports they will hold COVID 19 testing from 11 am to 12 noon at the Jamestown Civic Center, using the Rapid Testing, BinaxNow, balance of February, at 11 am t0 12 noon.

Thurs. Feb. 18, Mon. Feb 22, Wed. Feb. 24 Fri. Feb 26, 2021.

By screening with rapid antigen tests, event attendees will be able to receive their test results within 15 minutes via text notification. The test also is less invasive than a PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) test in that it uses a nasal swab to collect a sample from the lower part of the nostril.

If a person tests positive, they should isolate at home immediately and a case investigator will be in touch with them within 24 hours. If the screening yields a negative result, individuals should continue to monitor for symptoms.

Interested individuals should fill out an online survey at testreg.nd.gov for faster registration.

For more information about rapid antigen tests and North Dakota’s screening strategies, visit https://www.health.nd.gov/rapid-antigen-screening

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats

Wed. Feb. 17, 2021

Barnes:

New Positives 1

Total Positives

Active 6

Recovered 1243

Stutsman

New Positives 2

Total Positives 3278

Active 17

Recovered 3174

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

Please note that from now on the daily news release will be sent Monday – Friday. The NDDoH dashboard will continue to be updated daily.

BY THE NUMBERS
102,875	Residents who received at least one dose of vaccine
166,512	Total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered
7,062	Total Tests from yesterday*
1,603,338	Total tests completed since the pandemic began
123	Positive Individuals from yesterday*****
43	PCR Tests
80	Antigen Tests
98,901	Total positive individuals since the pandemic began
2.25%	Daily Positivity Rate**
797	Total Active Cases
+11	Change in active cases from yesterday
99	Individuals with a recovery date of yesterday****
96,673	Total recovered since the pandemic began
43	Currently hospitalized
-3	Change in hospitalizations from yesterday
0	New death(s)
1,431	Total deaths since the pandemic began
INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19
No deaths to report

NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED WEDNESDAY BY COUNTY

Adams		0	Grant	1	Ransom	2
Barnes		1	Griggs	0	Renville	0
Benson		0	Hettinger	2	Richland	1
Billings		0	Kidder	0	Rolette	1
Bottineau		4	LaMoure	1	Sargent	1
Bowman		0	Logan	0	Sheridan	0
Burke		1	McHenry	2	Sioux	0
Burleigh		22	McIntosh	0	Slope	0
Cass		32	McKenzie	1	Stark	9
Cavalier		0	McLean	1	Steele	0
Dickey		1	Mercer	0	Stutsman	2
Divide		2	Morton	3	Towner	0
Dunn		0	Mountrail	1	Traill	1
Eddy		0	Nelson	0	Walsh	1
Emmons		0	Oliver	0	Ward	6
Foster		0	Pembina	1	Wells	0
Golden Valley		1	Pierce	1	Williams	4
Grand Forks		15	Ramsey	2

* 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) Wednes day announced the new variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom was identified by genomic sequencing in positive specimens from two individuals in North Dakota. Both cases were identified by the NDDoH Public Health Laboratory.

The results were confirmed on Tuesday, Feb. 16. One individual had recently returned from domestic travel before becoming ill and the second individual was a close contact of the first. Both were interviewed by contact tracers at the time their initial positive results were received and close contacts were identified.

One additional case is suspected to be the UK variant and is currently under investigation.

Dr. Christie Massen, Public Health Lab Director, say, “Surveillance testing for the variant has been ongoing at the North Dakota Public Health Lab and in collaboration with other diagnostic laboratories and consists of genomic sequencing on portions of COVID-19 positive specimens.”

Kirby Kruger, Disease Control Director for the NDDoH, adds, “This variant strain is thought to be more contagious which reinforces the importance of continuing to wear a mask, physical distancing, staying home when you’re sick, getting tested, and quarantining when you’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Getting the vaccine when it’s your turn is another great way to prevent the spread of the variant strain.”

Preliminary studies have indicated the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use are effective against the UK variant strain.

This variant strain of the virus was first detected in the United Kingdom in September 2020 and has been found in numerous countries around the world, including the United States. To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,173 cases from 41 states. For more information, see CDC: New COVID-19 Variants.

Jamestown, (CSi) On Thursday February 18, 2021; there will be a road closure on 1st St SE, between 1st & 2nd Ave SE. This closure will take place from 7:00 AM until 10:00 AM for utility work.

Motorists should use extreme caution in this area and take alternate routes during this time, if possible.

Jamestown (CSi) The Stutsman County Commission has voted to approve two new hires fro current positions, Emergency Manager, and 9-11 coordinator.

Andrew Kirking was hired as Emergency manager and Riley Schafer, Assistant Emergency manager.

Kirking is anticipated to start in the position, March 22.

He has spent eight years as the Pembina County Emergency Manager

Riley Schafer is currently a Stutsman County Sheriff’s deputy. His start date has yet to be determined.

Present Emergency Manager, and 9-11 Coordinator, Jerry Bergquist is retiring, having spent over 30 years as Emergency Manager, and he’s planning to try to stay in his positions until the end of April, 2021 and assist with training and a transition for Kirking and Schafer.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota House has killed a bill that would have allowed someone performing an abortion to be charged with murder. The Republican-led chamber voted 22-77 to approve the legislation that would have carried a life sentence. The bill also sought to make it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison to help women get abortions, including by giving them rides to abortion clinics. Representatives voted on that portion of the bill separately and defeated it 6-86. The bill never had the support of Republican leaders and abortion-rights groups promised a legal challenge if it passed.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A House committee has endorsed a resolution that would allow North Dakotans to decide if sports gambling should be allowed in the state. The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee gave the bipartisan resolution a “do-pass” recommendation. It now goes to the full House for consideration. If approved by both chambers, the measure could appear on the November 2022 ballot. The committee will forward a bill that sets rules for gambling operations to the full House without an endorsement. The bill was amended to exclude gambling on college sports.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Utilities from North Dakota to Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to ease the burden on power grids that are straining to meet the extreme demand for heat and electricity as record low temperatures persist. Capital Electric Cooperative, based in Bismarck, says at least 7,000 customers were without power at one point Tuesday. Officials say Capital Electric doesn’t have control over who loses power and when. That’s managed through one of its power suppliers, the Western Area Power Administration, which said the rolling outages could last through Thursday.

In world and national news…

ATLANTA (AP) — Just as vaccine efforts ramp up and gain speed, the icy blast across much of the United States injected more confusion and frustration into the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday. Deliveries have been halted in many places and countless appointments canceled. In Washington, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 coordinator, Jeff Zients, said weather was impacting distribution and deliveries. He added that in places where .vaccination sites are closed, like Texas, the government is encouraging sites to increase their hours once they are able to open. The U.S. is vaccinating on average 1.7 million Americans per day, up from under 1 million a month ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents have seized roughly 10 million fake N95 masks in recent weeks. It’s the result of an ongoing investigation into counterfeits sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. Officials say the most recent seizures occurred Wednesday when Homeland Security agents intercepted hundreds of thousands of counterfeit 3M masks in an East Coast warehouse that were set to be distributed. Investigators also notified about 6,000 potential victims in at least 12 states including hospitals, medical facilities and others who may have unknowingly purchased knockoffs, urging them to stop using the medical-grade masks.

ATLANTA (AP) — Local government leaders are trying again to secure billions of dollars in federal aid as they cobble together city budgets amid the economic uncertainty of the pandemic. But their quest for about $140 billion is subject to intense partisan wrangling over President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion proposed response to COVID-19. The debate is making for some seemingly strange political bedfellows, as Republicans oppose a package that many of their key constituents support. Mayors are trying to stay above the partisan fight but insist they need the help to avoid the worst-case scenario of laying off police officers and other first responders.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is scrambling to expand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from patients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country. On Wednesday, the White House announced a scaled up push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by a U.S. Army biodefense institute. CDC wants to triple the number of tests it’s now doing, bringing them to about 25,000 a week. But the more significant action is on Capitol Hill. The House COVID-19 relief bill would provide $1.75 billion for mapping virus genes, while a Wisconsin Democratic senator has introduced legislation to spend $2 billion.

(AP) Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio host who became the voice of American conservatism, has died. His death Wednesday at the age of 70 came a year after announcing he had Stage Four lung cancer. With his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 stations across the U.S., and a massive audience of millions hanging on his every word, Limbaugh’s rants shaped the national political conversation, swaying the opinions of average Republicans and the direction of the party. Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.