Minnesota’s Inconclusive COVID-19 Model Cost An Astounding Amount

Minnesota Taxpayers shelled out over $1,500,000 to create mathematical models that poorly predicted the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Earlier this month, Minnesotans got their first glimpse at the highly technical equations that Governor Tim Walz has used to justify an economic shutdown of his state. This model, developed by the University of Minnesota (UMN) came with little explanation and proved to be utterly incomprehensible to the average viewer. The model also displayed little in the way of accuracy— predicting a statewide COVID-19 related death toll of somewhere between 9,000 and 36,000 per the Pioneer Press.

The model also cost a cool $1,558,217 according to government documents reported on by KX4’s Chris Berg.

Screenshot. (Twitter/Chris Berg)

An amended line from the third page of the document seems to show that the state originally intended to pay UMN $1,324,179, but that the total was raised by $234,038 at some point.

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Data to create the model appears to have been collected partly through phone calls which are reported to have cost the state $443,653.

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Special provisions were also made to conduct a portion of these telephone interviews in Spanish.

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Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.