Excessive heat watch in effect through Sunday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Latest COVID-19 updates in our morning newsletter

COVID-19 in Minnesota

President Donald Trump’s September campaign rallies in Bemidji and Duluth drew thousands of people, many of whom drove from miles around and crowded together to hear him speak.

The events were outdoors, but by all accounts, attendees were rarely socially distanced. Most did not wear masks. They chanted, shoulder to shoulder. 

Public health officials worried these events might cause a delayed spike in COVID-19 cases. Typically, they start to see positive cases five to seven days after the date of infection. And it can take weeks to understand the full impact of an event that sparks a COVID-19 outbreak. 

Now it has been weeks — and some infections have been traced back to the rallies and a smaller campaign visit by Trump’s presidential rival, Joe Biden — but the numbers for each of the events fall far short of what health officials initially feared.

Here are the official tallies, from the State Department of Health: 

Biden, Trump pitch to voters in northern Minnesota

Trump rakes in money, stirs up supporters in Duluth trip

Here’s what to do

Local health officials say the impact seems relatively minimal. Beltrami County Public Health Director Cynthia Borgen said Trump’s Bemidji rally so far has been connected to fewer cases than a nearby wedding that happened the next day — which has been connected to more than 20 positive cases. 

“The wedding had a lot fewer people than the rally,” she said. “But there was an indoor reception. There was dancing and conversation. People were close to each other for a long time.”

Holding the rally outdoors at the Bemidji airport probably helped minimize the spread of COVID-19, she said. 

In Duluth, St. Louis County spokesperson Dana Kazel said contact tracers only identified two local residents who tested positive for COVID-19 after attending Trump’s rally — even though Trump himself was likely infectious during his visit there. 

Where Trump went and who he met in Minnesota ahead of testing positive for COVID-19

It’s possible the political events weren’t as risky as many feared they might be. But despite the low numbers, Kazel has her doubts.

“Are there more cases?” she said. “Possibly.”

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, they go through the contact tracing process: Someone from the local or state health department calls them, and asks a host of questions — including whether they’ve recently attended any large gatherings. 

“It’s a yes or no question,” Kazel said. “And only about 30 percent of people answer it.”

At a county board meeting last week in Bemidji, Beltrami County Family Health Program Manager Megan Heuer said she was concerned that COVID-19 numbers from the rally there might not ultimately be accurate. 

“Some people aren’t as forthcoming on events they have attended,” she said.

It’s hard to tell how accurate the tallies are, if patients aren’t willing to answer contact tracers’ questions. 

Health workers worry fear, distrust complicate COVID-19 tracing in Minnesota’s communities of color

And how does it work with COVID-19?

According to Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson Erin McHenry, an analysis of the Bemidji area’s recent rise in COVID-19 cases paints a worrying — if somewhat blurry — picture. 

Almost 300 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Beltrami County in the last month and a half. Almost half of those occurred two to 10 days after the Bemidji campaign rally and the wedding that happened the next day. If someone was infected at either of those events, symptoms would likely have shown up during that time frame. 

“We cannot say definitively,” McHenry wrote in a statement. “However, these events appear, based on case characteristics, to be likely drivers of increases in COVID-19 cases in Beltrami County.”

Health officials tie northern Minn. COVID-19 surge to everyday gatherings

Rampant COVID-19 spread leaves officials 'deeply worried'

State health officials for weeks have been raising alarm bells amid rising case numbers and pandemic fatigue. They’ve warned of the risks that social gatherings like weddings, funerals and parties where people let down their guard, don’t wear masks and don’t social distance, especially when those gatherings are indoors. 

it’s been small get-togethers that seem to be behind the spike in coronavirus cases across northern Minnesota

Minnesota’s highest tally of new daily cases since the pandemic began

 — as state health officials said they are deeply worried about the coronavirus’ relentless spread across the state. 

They implored people to wear masks in indoor public spaces, socially distance and take other measures to stem the spread even when gathering with family and friends.

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the 

The coronavirus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, coughs and sneezes, similar to the way the flu can spread.

Full coverage from MPR News

Minnesota and the Upper Midwest

How it compares with other diseases in 5 charts

Health

Politics and Government News

NewsPartners

Election 2020

COVID-19

John Enger

Author

Health officials say some people who attended recent political events in Minnesota — including two major Trump rallies in the northern part of the state — later tested positive for COVID-19. But how many? That number is hard to find.

COVID-19 cases tied to MN campaign events — but full impact is unclear

Go Deeper.

Like this?