MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota is seeing an acceleration of COVID-19 cases and deaths, and a leading local epidemiologist warns the region and the nation could be in for a rough winter.

The state Health Department says Minnesota is averaging more than a thousand cases each day this month. There's also concern about a recent spike in novel coronavirus fatalities.

Michael Osterholm - who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota - said based on a variety of trends, the public should brace for more troubling reports.

"I think we are about to enter the darkest days of the pandemic," said Osterholm. "Not only here in Minnesota, but throughout the entire country. A combination of pandemic fatigue, pandemic anger, and then just the increased frequency of indoor air exposures."

He said families might still be planning holiday gatherings, despite the risk of spreading the virus.

Osterholm, a regents professor in the university's Division of Environmental Health Sciences, also noted some hospitals might not have enough specialized staff to treat patients in intensive care units.

And he said he worries the production of Personal Protective Equipment won't be enough to meet the rising demand.

Hospitalizations from the virus also are trending upward in Minnesota. Osterholm said it isn't enough just to have adequate bed capacity. He said there's real concern about the staffing levels to produce better outcomes for critical patients.

"The nursing staff that work in intensive care, the entire team," said Osterholm, "from respiratory therapy across the board - all offer a very, very unique service to these patients that you can't find just in any other physician or nurse."

He said the nation could also see shortages of the medications used to treat COVID patients, as many are developed in other countries where the supply chain is being disrupted.

Public-health officials are also voicing concerns about "COVID fatigue" setting in, even among people who carefully followed safety guidelines early in the pandemic.

For those hoping to break from isolation during the holidays and meet with family, Osterholm warned it's almost impossible to avoid any risk, even if there's an attempt to quarantine before the gathering.

"If you have some family members that do and some that don't," said Osterholm, "the chances of the virus entering into that household becomes a huge risk."

He said the state and nation won't see real improvement until a safe and effective vaccine is available.
This week, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary said vaccines won't likely be available to the American public at large until April of next year.


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November has been Diabetes Awareness Month - but heading into the holidays, people who are diabetic know they can't lose their focus on keeping it in check. And technology is making it easier to monitor the disease from home.

More than 520,000 Washingtonians have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Dr. Mamatha Palanati is the medical diabetes program director for Kaiser Permanente Washington. She said the disease needs to be managed closely, because it can lead to serious health complications.

Palanati noted that fortunately, people don't need to leave their homes to do this in some cases.

"In today's world, there's a much easier way to do it, like telehealth," said Palanati. "Telehealth provides multiple ways for the follow-up and connection to the health care for any individual."

Palanti said people managing diabetes still should plan to see their physician in person at least once a year. Management of other factors, like blood pressure and cholesterol, can also help reduce complications.

Palanati said monitoring technology can also assist people.

"The family members and caregivers, or anyone who can take care of that particular individual," said Palanati, "can do it remotely and manage their diabetes in a much better way."

Palanati stressed that diabetes is a chronic disease.

"Don't look at this as an additional chore or anything," said Palanati. "Make it as a part of your life. So, be active, making sure you adapt to the healthy lifestyles. It may not be perfect, but try your best to get what you can do."




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As World AIDS Day turns 35, the mother of an Indiana teen who became the public face of the disease is a reminder of the importance of never forgetting the hard work of medical researchers and the victims lost in the frenzy to find a cure.

More than 40 million people have died from AIDS, including Ryan White, who grew up in central Indiana at a time when not much was known about it and medicine offered few treatments. Ryan contracted the disease during a blood transfusion at age 13. He became a staunch advocate against discrimination and helped change how Americans view AIDS.

Jeanne White-Ginder, who eventually left Indiana for Florida, said it is imperative to remember all the lost lives.

"That is so important that we remember all the people who got us to where we are today, because they are no longer here," White-Ginder noted. "And I'm not just talking about Ryan, because Ryan was a face, but there are so many people that did all the work."

Just five weeks after Ryan's death in 1990, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Ryan White CARE Act with bipartisan support. The legislation helps more people get tested for HIV and offers assistance to patients in all stages of the disease.

Ryan's mom emphasized AIDS affects people across the spectrum, regardless of labels.

"A gay person has it, a straight person has it, a blood transfusion person has it; it was for everybody," White-Ginder explained. "Once you have AIDS, you're just like everybody else who has AIDS; you're fighting to stay alive. And people fought to stay alive, and people dedicated their lives to get us to where we are today."

She added Ryan would have turned 52 next week.

His mom plans to travel to Indiana University on his birthday, where the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention will present the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award to Dr. Joe and Sarah Ellen Mamlin.


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Advocates for affordable health care are speaking out to remind people what is at stake if the Affordable Care Act is repealed in the wake of recent statements by former President Donald Trump.

Mr. Trump, who leads the polls for the 2024 Republican nomination, has recently said he is looking at alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, and criticized the GOP lawmakers who voted against his attempts to end the program in 2017.

Laura Packard, a Stage 4 cancer survivor, noted before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies were allowed to deny coverage to people like her with pre-existing conditions.

"While I was on the couch, trying to survive, that's when Republicans in the U.S. House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act that was keeping me alive," Packard recounted. "Then, they held a party to celebrate. We can't go back to that."

The Affordable Care Act created health exchanges -- like Covered California -- offering subsidized health insurance to millions of people. And it funded an expansion of MediCal, benefiting 5 million low-income Californians in the first six years after the law's passage.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who helped write the health care law, said the Affordable Care Act forces health insurance companies to cover basic services like maternity care, mental health services, cancer screenings and contraception. The idea of getting rid of the law has been largely unpopular, and Wyden knows why.

"It would mean higher premiums for families and health insurance," Wyden pointed out. "And it would also threaten Medicaid nursing home benefits, because Medicaid is paying much of the nursing home bill for this country."

The law also allows adult children to stay on their parents' health plans until age 26 and bans lifetime caps on coverage.


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