Floodwaters and bird flu continue to rise in Minnesota, COVID remains low
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Flood waters continue to rise in Minnesota rivers, especially in the southern portion of the state, due to sustained heavy rainfall this month.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources noted that the recent round of storms from June 15 to 22 led to nine-day precipitation totals between four and 11 inches across southern Minnesota, and between four and seven inches across the northeastern part of the state. Typical monthly precipitation for all of June tends to fall between three and five inches.
The Mississippi River in St. Paul reached major flood stage on Tuesday and is predicted to crest tomorrow, while points downstream will reach their peak levels in a few days. Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) indicates that portions of the Minnesota River and the west fork of the Des Moines River also remain at major flood stage.
In addition to the immediate danger presented by rising and rushing waters, floods also pose other health risks. Floodwater can contain downed power lines, human and livestock waste, other hazardous waste, and other debris that may not be visible.
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The best way to protect yourself is to avoid walking or driving into any standing water. You can find more detailed safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.
And if you are in the clean-up stage after a flood, be sure to shut off gas and electricity to the affected area and wear protective gear. The U of M Extension has more details on the steps you can take to safely clean up here.
You can find all of MPR News’ flood coverage here.
Bird flu still on the rise in Minnesota
As we reported in our last update, over 17 million chickens, turkeys and ducks in domestic flocks have been impacted nationally by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu, to date this year.
Minnesota appears to be a hot spot of the disease this month, with more than 300,000 poultry reported as impacted so far this month, more than any other state in June. So far this year, around two million birds have been impacted in Minnesota.
The number of infections is not as high as the previous recent bird flu scare, in 2022, but is much higher — both in Minnesota and nationally — than was the case last year. This year, however, there is more concern over cross-over to cows, goats and even four known cases among humans nationwide.
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health is now reporting that seven livestock herds in the state have tested positive for bird flu, including one herd of 170 goats back in March and six cattle herds — over 5,000 cattle — so far in June.
COVID hospitalizations jump around, but remain low overall
COVID-19 hospitalizations ticked down again in this week’s update from the department of health. But more recent data, not yet included in our graphics because it isn’t final, indicates another increase in hospitalization numbers occurred subsequent to the down tick.
Once again, it is tough to predict whether any uptick indicates a possible longer-term rise on the horizon.
Regardless of any subsequent increase, COVID-19 hospitalizations remain far below where they were at the end of last year — over 600 hospitalizations were recorded over the week ending Dec. 30, 2023, compared to just shy of 60 earlier this month for the week ending June 8.
There were eight COVID-19 deaths for the week ending May 25. This is only the second time that weekly COVID deaths were in the single digits since August of last year. The other instance occurred at the beginning of May.
COVID levels in wastewater decline statewide
COVID-19 levels detected in wastewater treatment plants throughout the state declined 11 percent statewide as of June 19, compared to the prior week. The Twin Cities Metro saw a slightly bigger decline of 15 percent. The south central region is the only region of the study to see a substantial one-week increase, at 32 percent.
In our last update, we noted the one-thousand percent increase over the prior month in the study’s north west region, while contextualizing that increase as starting from a particularly low point. This week, the north west region saw a four-week increase of 156 percent.
While the north west region’s four-week increase is larger compared to the other regions, it appears there is still an overall decline in wastewater levels for that region. The time series for the north west region shows a recent plateauing and downturn. We will continue to monitor the data and keep you informed.