FARGO, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Friday that it’s likely going to take weeks to control the spread of the coronavirus in the Fargo metropolitan area, noting problems finding contact tracers and reaching people in certain neighborhoods.
Cass County, which includes Fargo, leads the state with 1,032 positive COVID-19 tests, including 43 new cases reported by health officials on Friday. Burgum last week assigned a task force to spearhead new testing, tracing and isolation strategies for the Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, area.
“I think we’ve got a ways to go,” Burgum said at his Friday briefing. “One of the things we’re looking for is, again, execution and cooperation at the local level.”
Burgum said 250 people were recently invited to participate in contact tracing in Fargo and 78 showed up. He said the issue is “about us learning how to do better” because trying to arrest a contagious disease takes communication and personal responsibility.
The good news, the governor said, is the number of positive tests in the state’s hotspot dropped for the second straight day, where the Red River Valley COVID-19 Task Force has begun testing some people more than once. Of the 2,310 tests completed statewide in the last day, 909 were people who had been previously screened.
Many health experts consider hospitalizations and deaths as key figures for tracking spread of the virus. The number of hospitalizations reported Friday dropped by three, to 35. There were two new deaths reported Friday, one in Cass County and one in Grand Forks County, raising the total to 42.
Statewide, the number of active cases increased for the fourth straight day, for a total of 648, including 428 in Cass County. Despite what he called a “little bit of a fire burning” in Fargo, Burgum said the Friday report contained “all in all good numbers” and provided “a lot of hope for us.”
Burgum and state Schools Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced Friday that a virtual graduation ceremony for high school seniors scheduled May 30 will feature Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, actor Josh Duhamel and Nashville recording artists Tigerlily, all of whom are North Dakota high school graduates.
Burgum said the event is not intended to replace ceremonies at individual schools but called it another “star-studded celebration” for students.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
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