Health

ST. PAUL (WCCO) ― Minnesota health officials on Monday set a higher bar for testing samples of what might be swine flu, and also said they were backing away from recommending schools with probable cases be closed.

Health officials said the changes come as they move into a "new phase" of responding to the virus. They said while it's too early to relax, the virus so far has been behaving like ordinary seasonal flu.

"This illness is out into the community," state Health Commissioner Dr. Sanne Magnan said. "The world looks very different now than it did a week ago."

Magnan said Minnesota's new guidelines are based on officials' observations of the severity of the virus during the past week. Out of more than 440 cases the Department of Health has tested, officials found only seven to be probable cases of swine flu. Of those, one has been confirmed while the others await tests at the CDC.

None of the confirmed or probable cases led to patients being hospitalized, she said.

When swine flu first broke out, the Minnesota Department of Health asked doctors to send specimens from any patients with flu-like illnesses to the state for testing. While the department will continue to do some limited surveillance at out-patient facilities, doctors are being asked to submit suspected swine flu specimens only for patients who have been hospitalized for flu-like symptoms.

Minnesota's decision came as officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they were rethinking their advice that schools consider closing for as long as two weeks because of swine flu.

Magnan said officials used "an abundance of caution" in the past week in recommending that several schools connected to suspected swine flu cases be closed. The Health Department has revised that approach to mostly leave the decision up to schools.

Schools can still choose to close, but Magnan said that would be a local decision based on the specific public health situation. For example, a school might choose to close if a large number of students or staff become ill and school functioning is disrupted, she said.

State epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said the focus should be on getting anyone who is sick to stay home for seven days to avoid spreading the illness. Closing schools for many days could become ineffective if students continue congregating in malls and other public places, she said.

"This is an acknowledgement that transmission does not only happen in the schools," Lynfield said.

Health officials have asked Minnesota schools and parents to watch children for symptoms, and schools will be asked to monitor possible flu cases and absences.

On Monday, the thrill of a three-day weekend was giving way to boredom for some students in the Orono public schools, one of three districts in the state where at least some schools were closed due to swine flu fears.

Carine Knight of Maple Plain, a stay-at-home mom, said late Monday morning that the "glamor" of staying home was quickly wearing off for her children, a 14-year-old son and twin 12-year-old daughters.

"Pretty soon they're walking around, (saying) 'I'm bored,"' she said.

All the nearly 2,600 students in the western suburban district were told to stay home because of probable case of swine flu connected to the high school. Later Monday, Orono officials said the district's middle school and two elementary schools would re-open on Tuesday, but the high school would stay closed at least another day.

In Cold Spring, about 60 miles northwest of Minneapolis, Superintendent of Schools Scott Staska said Rocori Middle School would reopen Tuesday, a day earlier than planned, after closing last week due to a confirmed case with a connection to the school. Staska said the new state guidelines as well as additional information about the local case allowed them to move up the reopening.

Magnan said people should still wash hands frequently and cover their coughs and sneezes with their sleeves, saying there's still a possibility that the virus could become worse. Despite the changed guidelines, she said health officials will be ready to react if that happens.

"We are ready and prepared no matter how this evolves," she said.

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Health officials suggest that people wash hands frequently, minimize contact with people they think may be sick and stay home from work, school and church if they aren't feeling well.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)