Three years ago, Governor Tim Walz called for Minnesotans to “shelter in place” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was to flatten the curve, or decrease the number of people who were infected all at once so hospitals and ICUs were not totally overwhelmed.
Today, there have been more than 1.7 million documented cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. As of Wednesday, almost 15,000 Minnesotans have died of COVID-19 compilations.
In the U.S., the virus has claimed the lives of more than 1 million people.
Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm has tracked the spread of COVID-19 since its very earliest days. He is the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what he’s learned from the past three years, to look ahead and his current personal battle with the virus.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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