Minnesota bans elective surgeries in response to COVID-19
Steve Karnowski | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 8 months AGO
Shopper Merlin Smith, 82, of Edina navigates the aisles of Lunds and Byerlys during an early morning hour devoted to older shoppers and shoppers with health conditions Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Edina, Minn. Smith was also shopping for his wife who has heart issues and was home. Some supermarket retailers across the world and Twin Cities are creating an early bird shopping time from 7-8 a.m. for older shoppers to protect them from COVID-19 and coronavirus. (Merlin Smith/Star Tribune via AP)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addresses the media during news conference, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn., where he gave an update on the state's effort to slow down the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Shoppers Diane, front, and Jack Dalin, left, of Bloomington, navigate the aisles of Lunds and Byerlys during an early morning hour devoted to older shoppers and shoppers with health conditions, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Edina, Minn. As senior citizens grapple with anxiety over the coronavirus, grocery store chains and other retailers have come up with a way to ease their fears: shopping times reserved exclusively for them. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
Shoppers Diane and Jack Dalin, of Bloomington, check out after grocery shopping at Lunds and Byerlys during an early morning hour devoted to older shoppers and shoppers with health conditions, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Edina, Minn. As senior citizens grapple with anxiety over the coronavirus, grocery store chains and other retailers have come up with a way to ease their fears: shopping times reserved exclusively for them. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
Traffic in the theater district was light as the marquee message above Brave New Workshop on Hennepin Avenue offers a light message in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, where many find themselves feeling the deepest fears of their lives Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
A worker sanitizes furniture at the downtown Minneapolis Public Library, a day after the library temporarily closed and was seen Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
Miguel Frias, left, and Jenny Frias placed a sign outside Taco House, to notify clients that they moved from dine-in/take-out to curb-side, Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in St. Paul, Minn. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)
Mike Stevenson flipped his barber shop sign to closed after learning state regulators had clarified that hair and nail salons, spas and other similar businesses are included in Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's order to cease operations Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in Columbia Heights, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)
The House chamber at the state Capitol is empty Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn., with some desks marked with an "A" - those desks may be occupied to maintain social distancing because of the coronavirus when lawmakers return. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP)
Videographers distanced themselves from each other as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, center, addresses the media during a news conference, Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in St. Paul, Minn., where he gave an update on state's effort to slow down the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
The popular Nicollet Mall during the lunch hour is almost deserted in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday, March 18, 2020. As a result of the coronavirus, many retailers are closing or cutting back hours. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
A downtown Minneapolis eatery displays the "Pickup Only" sign at the entrance Wednesday, March 18, 2020. No indoor seating is allowed in restaurants due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health care providers must postpone elective surgeries and other medical procedures so they can focus their resources on responding to the anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases, Gov. Tim Walz ordered Thursday.
The order, which also applies to non-emergency dental procedures, followed guidance issued by the federal government this week to delay elective procedures to conserve resources and reduce contact between patients and providers. The order applies starting Monday at 5 p.m.
“The greatest risk we face during the COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming our health care systems and limiting their ability to respond to emerging cases,” Walz said in a statement. "This executive order keeps more health care resources open and prioritizes life-saving intervention for COVID-19 patients and other emergency care.”
The order defines nonessential procedures as those that can be delayed without undue risk to the patient's health. The governor's office said providers should not postpone treatments that prevent loss of life, permanent dysfunction of an organ or limb, or that risk the spread of cancer.
The Minnesota Hospital Association endorsed the governor's order.
“We understand that this is a difficult decision for hospitals and health care systems. ... But it is absolutely the right thing to do in order to protect our patients, preserve supplies, equipment, and the right thing to do for our front-line caregivers,” Dr. Rahul Koranne, the association's president and CEO, said in a conference call with reporters.
Some providers had already begun cancellations, Koranne said, and others will be contacting patients whose procedures can safely be postponed.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild cases of COVID-19 recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe cases may take three to six weeks to get better.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota rose to 89 on Thursday, up 12 from the day before, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The new cases included one in Wadena County in north-central Minnesota, the state's first confirmed case so far north.
The real total is likely much higher and the disease is probably spreading in other parts of the state beyond the handful of counties where community transmission has been documented, Kris Ehresmann, the department's infectious disease director, said in her daily briefing for reporters.
“The 89 cases really represent the tip of the iceberg.,” Ehresmann said.
The strain of the coming surge on the health care system will depend on how diligently Minnesota residents practice social distancing and follow official guidance for preventing the spread of the coronavirus, including staying home if they're sick, officials said. Seven Minnesota patients have been hospitalized for COVID-19 since the outbreak began; four remain hospitalized.
“If we get a hundred patients across the state, we are going to be OK," Koranne said. “If we get a hundred thousand patients that need hospital level of care, the entire system is going to be extremely stressed.”
In keeping with spikes seen around the country and the world, new applications for unemployment insurance in Minnesota for the week topped 72,000 as of Wednesday night, according to figures released by the Department of Employment and Economic Development on Thursday.
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