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COVID-19
The Associated Press

Feds send team to evaluate Minnesota's coronavirus response

A lab scientist works to validate rapid antibody tests of COVID-19 samples
A lab scientist works to validate rapid antibody tests of COVID-19 samples from recovered patients on April 10, 2020, in Brooklyn, New York City.
Misha Friedman | Getty Images

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Updated 3 p.m.

A federal COVID-19 response team provided Minnesota health officials with recommendations for improvements Friday in the state's pandemic response following a recent rise in cases statewide.

The COVID-19 Response Assistance Field Team was sent to Minnesota by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. It arrived earlier this week hoping to slow a rise in new cases.

The response team briefed state health officials on their findings in an early morning Friday briefing before flying back, according to a Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson. The state didn't immediately release the recommendations.

Officials here said their federal colleagues have been visiting places in the country that could be on track for a major outbreak in an effort to stop that from happening.

The visits were collegial, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Friday afternoon.

“They were very complimentary, frankly, to our local partners, our tribal partners, to the epidemiologists at MDH, and the state as a whole,” she said.

The visit from federal officials is the second since U.S. Centers for Disease Control experts came to Minnesota to assess the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care facilities.

White House COVID-19 task force leader Deborah Birx identified Minneapolis as one of 11 cities with a surge in coronavirus cases that need aggressive action. The city's positive infection rate is higher than the state overall, which city health officials said is due to young people frequenting bars, essential workers infected while working and larger households in smaller homes.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 763 new cases Thursday, continuing a trend in increasing cases in recent weeks. State health officials reported nine deaths, relatively much lower than a peak of 35 single-day deaths reported in late May, though hospitalizations have been on the rise this month.