BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Health officials and National Guard members plan a second round of large-scale testing in Grand Forks as a result of an earlier coronavirus outbreak associated with a wind turbine blade factory in the city, the state’s National Guard commander said Wednesday.
State officials have said 128 people associated with the LM Wind Power facility - including employees, close contacts and family members - have tested positive. Officials tested 424 people last week during drive-thru screenings outside the plant.
Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrman said 700 to 800 tests are planned Thursday, “focusing on close contacts from testing last week.” He declined to give specifics.
The announcement came during Gov. Doug Burgum’s daily briefing and after health officials reported an additional 35 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in North Dakota to 679.
Health officials also reported the state’s 14th death related to the virus that causes COVID-19. They identified the victim as a Cass County man in his 40s who had underlying health conditions. Health officials did not say how he contracted the coronavirus.
Officials said 602 people have been screened since Tuesday, bringing the total tested in North Dakota to 15,589. They said 14,910 of those tests have come back negative.
Cass County leads the state with 274 cases, followed by Grand Forks County with 154. The virus has been reported in 33 of North Dakota’s 53 counties.
The demographic hit hardest by the virus is people aged 30 to 39 years. The state says 357 of people who tested positive are male and 322 are female.
There are currently 23 people hospitalized for the virus.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
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