AFTER THE OUTBREAK: Reopening Rochester - Testing

How does testing play a role in the decision to reopen?

As this pandemic unfolds?

Coronavirus testing continues to be the most significant way to understand the spread.

From developing the test?

To making sure more minnesotans have access to it?

Rochester's own mayo clinic has been at the forefront..

Now having the highest capacity in the state for processing those tests.

Now kimt news 3's jessica bringe is finding out how covi?19 testing is going to influence when our economy reopens..

And what that would look like.

It's the second installment of our five part series?

"after the outbreak?

Reopening rochester."xxx t?date?

Minnesota has performed over 47,000 coronavirus tests.

.

Many being processed right here at mayo clinic.

Just over 5 percent of those have come back positive?

And i'm learning having that u?

T?date information every single day is going to play a big role in lawmakers decisions to reopen the economy.

Governor tim walz says minnesota would need to drastically increase covi?

19 testing in the next few weeks to start safely reopening.

Minnesotans should all agree we are not testing as much as we should and state representative tina liebling of rochester knows we all are wondering what it will take to make that happen.

((rep.

Tina liebling, committee chair, health and human services finance division) what kind of testing do we have and what do we need to get us where we all want to go which is going back to reopening the economy.

Daniel huff with the department of health says the state is working to "dramatically ramp up" testing& but has to use it strategically for now.

((daniel huff, assistant commissioner for the health protection bureau)) when we prioritize healthcare workers we want to prioritize those who are in direct contact with patients more than someone who is administrative or some other part of the healthcare system.

Mayo clinic laboratories have been at the forefront of developing and supplying these tests for the state& but in order to have widespread testing and not just focus on vulnerable populations?

They need more supplies.

(scott beck, senior vice president mayo clinic laboratories)) i think it's fair to say that there hasn't been strong national coordination of supply production and distribution which has meant that there's spotty availability of supplies across the united states and most of the individual healthcare systems and governments have wound up having to compete with each other to access what supplies currently exist.

The university of minnesota medical school is stepping up to help.

It's working on manufacturing the protein needed for testing kits.

((dr. jakub tolar, dean, university of minnesota medical school)) there are many, many ways of not being dependent and left behind that we can rely on ourselves in the state of minnesota.

When it comes down to it& there are a lot of questions about how to quickly but safely reopen the economy& and lawmakers are pressing health officials to get those answers.

Rep.

Glenn gruenhagen (r) not cripple the economy the way it is now.

It's become quite a bone of contention and just wanted to hear from the medical side what your thoughts are about that.

The state's department of health did defer those questions?

But added it's a discussion they still hope to have in the future.

We will think about how to do that and part of that will be having the right people in the room so to speak so that we can have a good discussion about that.

Health officials say they're doing everything they can to expand covi?19 testing in the state.

On tomorrow's installment of "after the outbreak: reopening rochester"?

Jessica is going to look at who makes the decisions regarding reopening.

You can catch that right here on kimt news 3 at five./// i'm joined now by kimt storm