Walz: This Is Where Character Gets Defined

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz addressed the state Friday afternoon with an update on the preparations for fighting the coronavirus.

The Governor outlined what steps the state has taken in partnership with the hospitals to prepare for more cases.  He reiterated Minnesota has been competing with the 49 other states as well as countries around the world for critical equipment and testing kits.

He says he's hoping that when other parts of the country move past their peak in new cases some of that critical equipment will be shifted to where it's most needed, but he's also continuing to work with private companies here in the state to help ramp up preparations.

He says a spike in cases and hospitalizations is inevitable.

It will come.  It will most likely come before we have a lot of the therapeutics we need, or certainly before we have a vaccine.

The most recent modeling suggests the peak for hospitalizations in Minnesota will be mid-May until mid-June, with the peak in ICU cases from early May until early June. Walz says now is the time where character gets defined.

The ability to say, "I will sacrifice in the short run to make sure that my neighbors and my family stay safe".

Walz has also announced the creation of a COVID-19 data dashboard that tracks the virus in Minnesota and provides the latest available data on ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment, and testing.