Minnesota did better handling Covid - letter to the editor

[question everything]

One criticism concerns the governor’s efforts to manage the COVID pandemic. These were challenging, frightening, frustrating and sad times. Consider Minnesota’s experience from a public health perspective. How did Minnesota do? According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, between 2020 and 2022, Minnesota was among the states with the lowest rates of COVID death. During those first three years, just under 12,000 Minnesotans died — too many, but likely fewer than would have died if we had taken fewer public health measures. The mean death rate due to COVID over those years was 55.77 per 100,000 Minnesotans. Surrounding states, which did not invoke these measures, had much higher rates: South Dakota’s was 79.2; North Dakota 75.7; and Iowa 71.5. Wisconsin was closer to Minnesota’s record, but still had a higher age-adjusted death rate of 59.3 per 100,000 population.

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Walz does not deserve the full credit, but he does deserve his rightful share, and we owe him ample thanks for that.

William N. Robiner, Minneapolis

The writer is a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

https://www.startribune.com/readers-write-gov-tim-walz/600967645