Category Archives: Covid-19

For the third day in a row, Wisconsin health officials reported more than 2,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout the state.

Saturday's 2,283 positive casesmade up 18.3% of the 12,472 test results reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The average number of new daily cases over the last seven dayswashigher than ever Saturdayat 1,708.

Positive tests reported on Thursday, Friday and Saturday totaled 6,850, marking the highest number of positive tests over a three-day period in Wisconsin.On Friday, a record high 2,533new confirmed cases of COVID-19 was reported. The previousday, Thursday, saw 2,034new positive tests, the third highest single-day total, according to DHS.

The state health department also reported Saturday that three more people had died, bringing the total number of deathsin Wisconsin due to the coronavirus to 1,241.

RELATED:Students remember Bay Port teacher Heidi Hussli after her death due to COVID-19 complications

RELATED:UW-Oshkosh will test dorm wastewater to detect COVID-19 outbreaks

More than 1.4million Wisconsinites have been tested for the virus since the pandemic began.Of the 99,562 who have tested positive:

As of Friday afternoon, 342people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 98of them were in intensive care, according to DHS. An additional 121hospital patients were awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.

Globally, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 30 million and nearly 1 million people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data.As of Saturday afternoon inthe United States, 6.7 million people have tested positive and more than 198,900 have died.

RELATED:Wisconsin's mask mandate mostly ignored at Republican events

RELATED:As the pandemic grinds on, the Northwoods beckons many seeking solitude, natural social distancing

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Wisconsin health officials report more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row - Post-Crescent

Some people, like Ms. Kim, have paid a price. Online harassers labeled her a cougar, suggesting she used sex to proselytize to a younger man. Others said that, should she get pregnant, the infant should undergo a paternity test. Officials in the city of Busan debunked the rumors, but they continued to spread online.

Once discharged, she filed complaints with a major web portal to remove the fake content. But after trying to hound dozens of blogs, she gave up. There were too many of them, she said.

The global fight against the pandemic has raised privacy concerns across countries. Governments, including those of Italy, Israel and Singapore, have used cellphone data to track potentially infected people and their contacts. China has employed mobile phone apps with little disclosure about how they track people. Venezuela has urged neighbors to turn each other in.

South Korea, an intensely connected country where nearly everyone totes a smartphone, has taken those efforts a step beyond. In addition to making some personal data public, the authorities sometimes use it to send text messages to people whose cellular data history indicates they were in proximity to an infected person. Other than China, South Korea is virtually the only country in the world whose government has the power to collect such data at will during an epidemic, according to Prof. Park.

In the initial desperate months of the pandemic, government websites uploaded a detailed sketch of each patients daily life until they were diagnosed and isolated. The government did not reveal patients names but sometimes released revealing data such as their addresses and employers.

That rush of data fed a growing culture of online harassment. In South Korea, doxxing digging up and publishing malicious personal information had already been a growing problem, often cited in the recent suicides of K-pop stars.

Restaurants visited by patients were sometimes treated as if they were cursed. Citing one female patients frequent visits to karaoke parlors, online trolls claimed that she must be a prostitute. Gay South Koreans began to fear being outed, prompting the government to promise them anonymity in testing after an outbreak erupted at a gay club in Seoul in May.

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In South Korea, Covid-19 Comes With Another Risk: Online Bullies - The New York Times

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reportsas of 10:00 a.m., September 17, 2020, there have been 497,962 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 13,430 total cases and 294 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a69-year old male from Berkeley County, a 75-year old male from Berkeley County,a 91-year old female from Jackson County, and an 80-year old male from RoaneCounty. Wesend our sympathy to these families and urge all West Virginians to continue toprotect each other by wearing a mask, washing hands, and staying sociallydistant, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(42), Berkeley (922), Boone (190), Braxton (10), Brooke (106), Cabell (690),Calhoun (23), Clay (33), Doddridge (17), Fayette (501), Gilmer (19), Grant(150), Greenbrier (118), Hampshire (99), Hancock (139), Hardy (76), Harrison(326), Jackson (239), Jefferson (413), Kanawha (2,154), Lewis (38), Lincoln (148),Logan (558), Marion (250), Marshall (148), Mason (130), McDowell (80), Mercer(392), Mineral (157), Mingo (332), Monongalia (1,791), Monroe (143), Morgan(48), Nicholas (77), Ohio (343), Pendleton (51), Pleasants (15), Pocahontas(59), Preston (145), Putnam (460), Raleigh (449), Randolph (233), Ritchie (10),Roane (43), Summers (32), Taylor (115), Tucker (15), Tyler (15), Upshur (60),Wayne (328), Webster (7), Wetzel (49), Wirt (9), Wood (345), Wyoming (88).

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Monroe and Tucker counties in this report.

Pleasevisit the dashboard located at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-17-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Photo by Roland Lizarondo

Above: Inside Bubs at The Beach in Pacific Beach, Sept. 18. 2020.

By next week, San Diego County could be in California's most restrictive tier for reopening during the pandemic.

Currently it's in the "red" tier, which allows for salons, tattoo shops, massage parlors, restaurants, gyms, churches, and museums to open at a limited capacity. In the "purple" tier, only hair salons/barber shops, retail and shopping centers can have indoor operations.

"If we have to close our indoor operations we may have to close our entire operation permanently," said Todd Brown who owns Bubs at the Beach in Pacific Beach. "We're down, this is it."

Brown has pivoted to outdoor dining during the pandemic, turning parking spaces into tables, but said it is not enough.

"It's not sustainable," he said. "That's our problem."

RELATED: Some San Diego Schools May Be Affected By Return To Purple Tier

Brown said he feels backed into a corner and if indoor operations are forced to close next week he may decide to stay open.

"All I'm trying to do is survive as an operator. Weve been a fixture for 22 years in Pacific Beach and if they close us down next week, and we choose to follow the mandate, Im not sure well ever be able to open the doors again."

County health officials said our case rate is high because of more than 700 San Diego State students testing positive. County officials believe they have the outbreak contained to a small area around the university and are asking for a an exemption from the state to avoid going to the "purple" tier. But Governor Gavin Newsom himself has said "no."

"All were asking for is a fair shake," Brown said. "And were asking for the governor to hand the reins over our county board of supervisors."

At least four county supervisors have indicated they believe SDSU's cases should not be counted in our totals, and they could decide to take legal action ahead of our descent to the purple tier and it's restrictions.

"I would like the county to fight for us. I think me as a business owner is just more support financially has been the biggest issue," said Steven Land who owns Landform Fitness in the College Area.

Right now under the state's "red" tier, Land can have his gym open, but that could all change next week if he has to close.

RELATED: San Diego Reports 388 New COVID-19 Cases As County Considers Suing State

"It would be Im reaching the end and theres not much more time I can keep winging this thing," Land said.

Land said his customers have been understanding with closures and hes been able to move some classes online but it is just not sustainable.

"Something that Ive worked my entire life to get to is just basically gone and I cant talk to anyone that has any answers for me," he said. Land also said he has been trying, unsuccessfully, for months to get an Small Business Administration loan.

San Diego County has already had one week of purple tier data. If that continues next week more restrictions will be coming. There are a few scenarios where that does not happen. First, cases could simply be low next week and keep us under the state requirement for the "purple" tier.

Despite already getting a "no" from the Governor, county officials are still lobbying the state to remove cases from SDSU. If that happened we would stay in the red tier. Finally, there could be action from the board next week. There is a closed session meeting of supervisors on Monday, where legal action could be taken. There is another special meeting on the books for Tuesday.

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COVID-19 Purple Tier Would Clamp Down On Indoor Business Operations - KPBS

Fargo's Cass County reported the greatest number of new cases with 72 while Bismarck's Burleigh County reported 58 new cases. Dickinson's Stark County added 49 new infections.

Bordering the capital city, Mandan's Morton County, Emmons County and McLean County reported 24, 23 and 20 new cases, respectively. Minot's Ward County added 18 new cases and Williston's Williams County totaled 15 new cases.

Wahpeton's Richland County added eight new cases. Grand Forks County recorded seven new cases, while Logan County and Mercer County tallied six new cases. Adams, Barnes, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Dickey, Dunn, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McIntosh, McKenzie, Mountrail, Pembina, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Rolette, Sargent, Sioux, Stutsman, Traill and Walsh counties each added five or fewer new cases.

The new cases came from a total 6,759 tests, a 5.6% daily positivity rate.

The department also reported eight new deaths in the state from COVID-19. The deceased were six males and two females in their 80s and 90s, all of whom were from Morton County and suffered from underlying health conditions.

The eight reported deaths were a single-day pandemic-high, though the department attributed the figure to a delay in reporting and stated the individuals all died between one and 13 days ago.

139 of the state's deaths list COVID-19 as the primary cause of death while 53 others list the virus as a secondary cause or are pending death records. The state also reported three individuals who were presumed to have been positive for the virus at the time of their death. The state's death rate for individuals who have become infected is 1.1%.

Active cases rose by 110 to 3,096, a pandemic-high for the state and the first time the figure has risen above 3,000. Statewide, active cases have risen 38% since the beginning of September.

Burleigh County currently leads the state with 570 active cases, representing a 28% increase from last Saturday.

Cass County's active cases rose 33% in the past week from 402 to 536. While the state has kept Cass County's at its "low risk" designation, the county could be a candidate to move to the "moderate risk" designation if numbers continue to move in the wrong direction next week, Gov. Doug Burgum said Tuesday, Sept. 15.

As of Friday, Sept. 18, North Dakota State University reported 119 COVID-19 cases among students and employees with an additional 217 students either in isolation or quarantined in university housing.

Active cases totaled 307 in Stark County Saturday, a 30% rise over the past week. Dickinson State University reported nine active cases and 45 recovered cases as of Friday.

Grand Forks County's active cases decreased for the second consecutive week, dropping 15% to 229. The University of North Dakota reported 59 "current self-reported" faculty, staff and student positives.

Active cases numbered 237 in Morton County, 216 in Ward County and 199 in Williams County. Jamestown's Stutsman County reported 93 active cases Saturday while all other counties totaled 72 or fewer active cases. Three rural counties Divide, Sheridan and Slope currently do not have any active cases.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 6,706,374 cases of COVID-19 and 198,099 deaths from the virus.

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Active COVID-19 infections surpass 3000 for first time in North Dakota - Grand Forks Herald

Club Tijuana has confirmed 30 cases of COVID-19 among its first-team players and staff and will have its next two games rescheduled, Liga MX said on Saturday.

"After receiving the results of the tests carried out by [Club Tijuana] on the first team, the examinations indicated 14 positive COVID-19 cases among the players and 16 in the coaching team and staff," read a statement from the league.

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Xolos' game against FC Juarez had already been moved from Friday until Monday while the club awaited the test results, but that game will now be played on Sept. 30. Next weekend's Tijuana match against Santos Laguna will also be rescheduled.

Tijuana lost 2-1 to Cruz Azul last Sunday, after four players were removed from the squad after they tested positive. Coach Pablo Guede, who also tested positive for the coronavirus, coached the team via Zoom from his home.

Liga MX confirmed that those who tested positive are now in isolation and will be looked after by the Tijuana medical team. Some of those infected have presented symptoms.

The number of overall cases in Liga MX men's first teams is now well over 100. Nearly a quarter of all the registered players among the 18 clubs' squads have tested positive since the pandemic began.

The first cases among players were confirmed on May 20, with eight positives at Santos Laguna. Since then, every club except Pachuca has registered coronavirus cases.

Liga MX canceled the 2020 Clausura tournament last May, but the 2020 Guard1anes season began behind closed doors on July 23.

The Mexican first division has continued amidst the positive results, isolating players and only allowing them to return to training after they had produced a negative result.

There have also been a number of cases of players not adhering to the protocol.

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Tijuana confirms 30 new cases of COVID-19 will have matches rescheduled - ESPN

Three new studies suggest that high proportions of cats and dogs may have acquired COVID-19 from their owners and that the virus jumped back and forth between humans and minks on farms in the Netherlands.

The first, a small, unpublished study from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, suggests that a large proportion of pet cats and dogs may have gotten COVID-19 from their owners, as evidenced by antibodies against the coronavirus in their blood.

The study, which will be presented at the Sep 23 to 25 virtual European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Conference on Coronavirus Disease, involved collecting nose, throat, and rectal swabs from 17 cats, 18 dogs, and 1 ferret owned by people diagnosed as having COVID-19 or reporting symptoms consistent with the coronavirus in the previous 2 weeks.

If more than 2 weeks had passed, the pets were tested for antibodies. The results were compared with those of stored blood samples collected from animals before December 2019.

All animals tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), except for one cat, which had ambiguous results but tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, indicating previous infection. Overall, seven of eight cats with blood samples (88%) had coronavirus antibodies. The owners of all cats with inconclusive COVID-19 tests or positive antibody results said they and their pets had displayed coronavirus-like respiratory symptoms at the same time.

Two of 10 dogs with blood samples (20%) had coronavirus antibodies. One dog had previously had displayed respiratory symptoms.

The authors noted previous reports of SARS-CoV-2 infections in different animal species, but none have identified risk factors for or clinical characteristics of infection.

Lead author Dorothee Bienzle, DVM, PhD, of the University of Guelph, said in an ESCMID news release that blood testing the animal after the owner recovers is the best way to assess human-to-animal transmission because the window of time to identify current infections in pets is narrow.

In the meantime, Bienzle said, pet owners infected with COVID-19 should isolate themselves. "There is sufficient evidence from multiple studies, including ours, to recommend that SARS-CoV-2 infected persons should isolate from people and animals," she said.

In the second study, a research letter published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers in Hong Kong tested the respiratory and fecal samples of 50 cats from COVID-19infected households or their close contacts for coronavirus RNA from Feb 11 to Aug 11.

Six of the 50 cats (12%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on RT-PCR, and virus genomes from one owner-and-cat pair were identical. All cats were asymptomatic but had lung abnormalities similar to those of infected humans. The researchers were unable to grow the virus on cell culture.

"Although feline-to-human transmission is theoretically possible, we did not find any evidence of this transmission," the authors said. "The timeline of infection in cat 1 and the finding of an identical SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence in a human from the same household is consistent with human-to-animal transmission. In support of these findings, the cat had no outdoor access."

The researchers called for broader serologic surveillance of cats connected to COVID-19 patients to determine the prevalence of human-to-cat spread.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong quarantines and tests pets from infected households or their close contacts in a holding facility if other care is not available. The pets are isolated until they test negative on RT-PCR on two occasions. COVID-19 infections identified in dogs as part of this testing were reported in a study published on May 14 in Naturethe first published evidence of the disease in dogs.

The third study, which will also be presented at the ESCMID conference, involved monitoring COVID-19 infections at 16 mink farms with more than 720,000 animals in the Netherlands. The findings suggest that the coronavirus jumped back and forth between people and mink, in the first known published case of animal-to-human, or zoonotic, transmission, according to the authors.

Of course, SARS-CoV-2 likely first jumped from animals to humans in late 2019, sparking the pandemic in Wuhan, China.

In the study, posted Sep 1 on the preprint server bioRxiv, Dutch researchers investigating outbreaks of coronavirus in both animals and humans on mink farms conducted testing and whole-genome sequencing to trace the sources of infection. Sixty-six of 97 people (67%) living or working on the farms were diagnosed as having COVID-19 on PCR or antibody testing.

The authors said in an ESCMID news release that they believe at least two people on the farms were infected by mink. "Unfortunately, based on our research we cannot make definite conclusions on the direction of most of the infections, so we do not know the total number of people that were infected by minks," they said.

"We conclude that initially the virus was introduced from humans and has evolved on mink farms, most likely reflecting widespread circulation among mink in the first SARS-CoV-2 mink farms, several weeks prior to detection."

The coronavirus was first detected on two mink farms in late April. Some farms involved in the outbreaks were owned by the same person, but no epidemiologic link could be identified for the others.

Genome sequencing showed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the same as those found in the mink and not identical to those found in COVID-19 patients living near the farms. The sequences from all infected mink farms were part of one of five distinct disease clusters, demonstrating spread among the farms.

Currently, COVID-19 is still spreading on the farms, despite efforts to combat it, the authors said, and three large clusters with unknown modes of transmission have been identified.

"The population size and the structure of mink farms is such that it is conceivable that SARS-CoV-2once introducedcould continue to circulate," the authors wrote. "Therefore, continued monitoring and cooperation between human and animal health services is crucial to prevent the animals serving as a reservoir for continued infection in humans.

They add in the news release, "Close collaboration between human and animal health departments is essential for early identification and control of SARS-CoV-2 infections."

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COVID-19 likely spreading from people to animalsand vice versa - CIDRAP

News Release

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

The National Institutes of Health today announced a $12 million award for outreach and engagement efforts in ethnic and racial minority communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award to RTI International, a non-profit research institution, will support teams in 11 states established as part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. These teams have received initial funding to immediately create CEAL programs, and RTI will serve as the Technical and Administrative Support and Coordination (TASC) center.

The CEAL research teams will focus on COVID-19 awareness and education research, especially among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indians populations that account for over half of all reported cases in the United States. They also will promote and facilitate the inclusion and participation of these groups in vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials to prevent and treat the disease.

The communities of special focus include counties in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Addressing health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations has long been a priority for NIH, said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic borne by diverse communities, especially those that include Blacks and Latinos, makes clear the urgent need for treatments and vaccines that are effective for all Americans. Inclusive research that reflects the entire population is essential to this goal.

CEAL is an NIH-wide effort led by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It expands existing community outreach efforts already underway by NIH COVID-19 trial networks.

The CEAL research teams will leverage established relationships between NIH-funded researchers and local community-engaged leaders to help reach underserved communities that might not be located near COVID-19 clinical research recruitment sites.

Building on the strength of local organizations, as well as our long-standing community-engaged research efforts, will help us communicate effectively to address disparities and support the proven resilience within communities, said NIMHD Director Eliseo J. Prez-Stable, M.D. This work will help ensure people get accurate and trustworthy information about the virus, how to reduce its spread, and how to protect themselves and their families.

CEAL research teams include NIH and other federally funded entities that have community engagement expertise, non-academic community-based organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), state and/or local health departments, and others. Their goal is to quickly launch outreach efforts that can help reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable populations and to evaluate these efforts through community-engaged research.

Since communities of color have been particularly affected, and also historically underrepresented in clinical research, it is essential that we encourage people to join COVID-19 research studies, said NHLBI Director Gary Gibbons, M.D. Thats why NIH is partnering with messengers who live, work, and worship in the same communities where the disease has caused the highest rates of sickness and death. In the middle of a pandemic, people need to hear familiar, trusted voices they know are advocating for their health and safety.

For more information about CEAL, visit the NIH COVID-19 communities page.

The CEAL principal investigators and institutions are:

Mona N. Fouad, M.D., M.P.H.University of Alabama at Birmingham

Sairam Parthasarathy, M.D.University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson

Arleen F. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.University of California, Los Angeles

Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., M.P.HUniversity of Miami

Tabia Henry Akintobi, Ph.D., M.P.H.Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta

Marie A. Krousel-Wood, M.D.Tulane University, New Orleans

Erica Marsh, M.D.University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Caroline Compretta, Ph.D.University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson

Anissa I. Vines, Ph.D.University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Paul Juarez, Ph.D.Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Jamboor Vishwanatha, Ph.D.University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth

Linda Squiers, Ph.D.Technical Lead, TASCRTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

About the National Instituteon Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): NIMHD leads scientific research to improve minority health and eliminate health disparities by conducting and supporting research; planning, reviewing, coordinating, and evaluating all minority health and health disparities research at NIH; promoting and supporting the training of a diverse research workforce; translating and disseminating research information; and fostering collaborations and partnerships. For more information about NIMHD, visit https://www.nimhd.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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NIH funds community engagement research efforts in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 - National Institutes of Health

In the early weeks of the pandemic, before coronavirus cases crushed hospitals in New York and spiked in other states, Dr. Rebecca Shadowen asked her friends a question on Facebook.

"If you could save the life of another person without harming your own, would you?" Shadowen, an infectious disease specialist in Kentucky, posted on March 13.

From the start, the doctor advocated for social distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing, and she hoped her community of Bowling Green could become a model for the rest of her state, where residents sparred over stay-at-home orders and challenged Kentucky's mask mandate in the courts.

In May, while offering her expertise as a member of the Bowling Green-Warren County Coronavirus Workgroup, Shadowen fell ill. At first, she complained of feeling tired, but on the night she was taken to the hospital, she woke up saying she was short of breath, her husband, David, said.

She toggled between local hospitals for the next four months, at times being placed on a ventilator and in the intensive care unit. During weeks she regained her strength, she was lucid enough to continue working from her hospital bed and share what she knew about the virus that was ravaging her body in unexpected ways.

"There were multiple times she thought she was turning the corner and we thought she was on the road to recovery," David Shadowen, who is also a doctor, said.

But after dealing with complications from the virus, including abdominal bleeding and weakened lungs, Shadowen died on Sept. 11 surrounded by her husband and two adult children. She was 62.

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David and Rebecca Shadowen were college sweethearts at Western Kentucky University, and together they enrolled at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Shadowen went on to specialize in infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and Lyme disease, and, this year, Covid-19.

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She worked out of the Medical Center at Bowling Green, where colleagues leaned on her medical knowledge of more than three decades and she enjoyed helping medical students and residents.

Even after she became sick, she continued on the county's coronavirus workgroup, urging the need for a local mask ordinance. When she learned something especially important, she would send a group text, sometimes in the middle of the night. She believed the simple act of wearing a mask could stop the spread of the disease.

"She'd say, 'Look folks, this isn't politics. This is science,'" said Dennis Chaney, the medical center's vice president of ancillary services. "I heard her say that many times."

After her death, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted his praise of Shadowen as being a "front line hero."

David Shadowen believes his wife contracted Covid-19 the way he and their daughter, Kathryn, did: from a home health aide who had infected his elderly mother.

But the Shadowens' son, Jesse, did not test positive for the virus. David Shadowen said he and his daughter had mild symptoms, which made Shadowen's debilitating struggle all the more frustrating.

Before she got sick, Shadowen went to her church, empty during the pandemic, and prayed in a pew. She was conflicted, wrestling with all the risks and her responsibilities as a health care worker, said Adam Shourds, senior pastor at Broadway United Methodist Church.

"She said, 'We all have a responsibility,'" Shourds recalled. "'My role is important, but it's no more important than anyone else's.'"

He said Shadowen texted him the day she was scheduled to be placed on a ventilator: "I'm going on the vent today. This is not the end."

She wasn't bitter, she said, and used her last few months to understand everything she could about the coronavirus.

"She fought the virus harder than anybody because she knew how," Shourds said.

During Shadowen's visitation and funeral service this week, former patients and family members of patients approached David Shadowen and his children.

Many told them the same thing: "'I'm alive today because she saved my life,' or, 'She saved my mother's life,'" David Shadowen said.

He described her as the glue that held their household together, working long shifts, taking care of the finances, making meals and shuttling the kids between soccer practice and ballet, all without breaking a sweat.

She embodied so much, David Shadowen said: a person of faith, a mother, a wife and a doctor.

Their daughter, Kathryn, 23, said there were countless times when they were out in public that someone would stop her mother to thank her for what she did.

"It was really powerful to be the kid of someone who saved people," she said. "A lot of kids think of their parents as heroes. Mine actually was."

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Kentucky doctor who urged mask-wearing early on dies of Covid-19 - NBC News

The largest figures were 44 new cases in Stearns County and 36 in Redwood County.

Most other counties in the area tracked by the West Central Tribune had new cases in the single digits two cases in Lac qui Parle; four cases each in Chippewa, Pope and Yellow Medicine counties; five cases in Renville County; and six cases each in Kandiyohi, Meeker and Swift counties.

Big Stone County was the only one in the region not reporting any new cases in Saturday's report.

Statewide there are 924 new cases for a total of 88,721 with 9,515 of them being health care workers.

There were 13 additional deaths attributed to COVID-19, for a current total of 1,963.

Most of the deaths, 1,422, have occurred in long-term care or assisted living facilities, and 1,566 of the people who have died were 70 or older.

Statewide, there are 241 COVID patients currently in hospitals, 134 of them being treated in ICUs.

The Minnesota Department of Health is also reporting that 80,407 of the state's reported positive cases no longer need to self-isolate.

So far in Minnesota, there have been approximately 1,815,774 completed tests of approximately 1,291,395 people since Jan. 20.

The information was included in the latest Minnesota Department of Health daily situation update, released at 11 a.m. daily. The data released are current as of 4 p.m. the day before.

The current number of COVID-19 cases among residents confirmed to reside in area counties includes:

(County of residence is confirmed during the case interview. The county residence data may not equal the total number of reported positive cases in a given day.)

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Most west central Minnesota counties report new COVID-19 cases, with big jumps in Redwood and Stearns counties - West Central Tribune