MinnHealth experts in state public health and infectious disease have been at the forefront of the Minnesota’s response to COVID-19. This website is a resource to help advance the understanding of the virus and inform the public, in order to guide a response, improve care, and save lives.
Headquartered with research and development facilities located in the downtown core of the medtech mecca that is the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, MinnHealth develops, evaluates and deploys novel high-impact technologies in a wide variety of regulated health and medical markets. With academic and commercial collaborators spread from coast-to-coast, and everywhere in between, we aim to achieve meaningful improvements in the lives of patients.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease has since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan. All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related coronaviruses in nature.
COVID-19 can affect the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) and the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs). The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most abundant in type II alveolar cells of the lungs. The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein called a "spike" (peplomer) to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell. The density of ACE2 in each tissue correlates with the severity of the disease in that tissue and decreasing ACE2 activity might be protective, though another view is that increasing ACE2 using angiotensin II receptor blocker medications could be protective. As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads from person to person mainly through the respiratory route after an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. A new infection occurs when virus-containing particles exhaled by an infected person, either respiratory droplets or aerosols, get into the mouth, nose, or eyes of other people who are in close contact with the infected person. During human-to-human transmission, an average 1000 infectious SARS-CoV-2 virions are thought to initiate a new infection.
Although it is considered possible there is no direct evidence of the virus being transmitted by skin to skin contact. A person could get COVID-19 indirectly by touching a contaminated surface or object before touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes, though this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. The virus is not known to spread through feces, urine, breast milk, food, wastewater, drinking water, or via animal disease vectors (although some animals can contract the virus from humans). It very rarely transmits from mother to baby during pregnancy.
A key metric in gauging the severity of COVID-19 is the infection fatality rate (IFR), also referred to as the infection fatality ratio or infection fatality risk. This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of deaths from the disease by the total number of infected individuals; hence, in contrast to the CFR, the IFR incorporates asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections as well as reported cases.
A December 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that population IFR during the first wave of the pandemic was about 0.5% to 1% in many locations (including France, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal), 1% to 2% in other locations (Australia, England, Lithuania, and Spain), and exceeded 2% in Italy. That study also found that most of these differences in IFR reflected corresponding differences in the age composition of the population and age-specific infection rates; in particular, the metaregression estimate of IFR is very low for children and younger adults (e.g., 0.002% at age 10 and 0.01% at age 25) but increases progressively to 0.4% at age 55, 1.4% at age 65, 4.6% at age 75, and 15% at age 85. These results were also highlighted in a December 2020 report issued by the WHO.
There is no specific, effective treatment or cure for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thus, the cornerstone of management of COVID-19 is supportive care, which includes treatment to relieve symptoms, fluid therapy, oxygen support and prone positioning as needed, and medications or devices to support other affected vital organs.
Most cases of COVID-19 are mild. In these, supportive care includes medication such as paracetamol or NSAIDs to relieve symptoms (fever, body aches, cough), proper intake of fluids, rest, and nasal breathing. Good personal hygiene and a healthy diet are also recommended. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that those who suspect they are carrying the virus isolate themselves at home and wear a face mask.
If you're worried you might have been exposed to the coronavirus, don't wait. Schedule a testing appointment today. Getting tested will let you know if you are at risk of infecting others. There is no prerequisite to get a test, and it is free for everyone.
Schedule an AppointmentCOVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
Call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Self-isolation at home has been recommended for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who suspect they have been infected. Health agencies have issued detailed instructions for proper self-isolation. Many governments have mandated or recommended self-quarantine for entire populations. The strongest self-quarantine instructions have been issued to those in high-risk groups. Those who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those who have recently travelled to a country or region with the widespread transmission have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last possible exposure.
If you're worried you might have been exposed to the coronavirus, don't wait. Schedule a testing appointment today. Getting tested will let you know if you are at risk of infecting others. There is no prerequisite to get a test, and it is free for everyone.
Schedule an Appointment
The standard methods of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 are nucleic acid tests, which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments. As these tests detect RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited." The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used. Results are generally available within hours. The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.
The WHO and the US CDC recommend individuals wear non-medical face coverings in public settings where there is an increased risk of transmission and where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals and is complementary to established preventive measures such as social distancing. Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing.
Thorough hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is required. The WHO also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose. When soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol.
Not everyone needs to be tested. If you do get tested, you should self-quarantine/isolate at home pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.
Riverwood Healthcare
200 Bunker Hill Dr
Aitkin, MN 56431
218-927-2157
By appointment only
Weekday Hours : 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Weekend Hours : Unavailable
Accepting any symptomatic patient
Accepting the following asymptomatic patients: Pre-procedural; Suspected Exposure; Essential Workers
Riverwood Healthcare
200 Bunker Hill Dr
Aitkin, MN 56431
218-927-2157
By appointment only
Weekday Hours : 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Weekend Hours : Unavailable
Accepting any symptomatic patient
Accepting the following asymptomatic patients: Pre-procedural; Suspected Exposure; Essential Workers
Riverwood Healthcare
200 Bunker Hill Dr
Aitkin, MN 56431
218-927-2157
By appointment only
Weekday Hours : 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Weekend Hours : Unavailable
Accepting any symptomatic patient
Accepting the following asymptomatic patients: Pre-procedural; Suspected Exposure; Essential Workers
Riverwood Healthcare
200 Bunker Hill Dr
Aitkin, MN 56431
218-927-2157
By appointment only
Weekday Hours : 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Weekend Hours : Unavailable
Accepting any symptomatic patient
Accepting the following asymptomatic patients: Pre-procedural; Suspected Exposure; Essential Workers
Know SARS-CoV-2 "coronavirus" by its signs. Inform yourself, keep yourself and your loved ones safe, and do your part to flatten the curve.
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