Indigenous communities see rise in COVID-19 cases
By Dan Kraker/MPR News When vaccines for COVID-19 first became available early this year, Minnesota’s tribal communities were quick to make them available to their members. One of the first to get vaccinated was White Earth chair Michael Fairbanks. He’s 58 and in pretty good health, so he was surprised in October when he tested […]
New Minnesota greeting: “Are you vaccinated?”
By Lee Egerstrom Businesses and entertainment venues throughout Minnesota are quickly imposing requirements on patrons and customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations. The state is now following suit. If you want to work in-person jobs with state agencies, or with state agencies to work with the general public, you are now required to show […]
Delta variant is surging in Minnesota. Tribes not immune
By Lee Egerstrom Infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 and its more contagious delta variant are surging again in Minnesota even as vaccination rates increase. Health experts warn the state’s Native population isn’t immune. Students are returning to schools and a COVID outbreak already has 290 students quarantined from Albert Lea schools. School officials, local […]
Political Matters – August 2021
By Mordecai Specktor Denmark and Poland In the way of a pandemic travel report, I visited Denmark and Poland in July. The usual discomfort of airline travel is enhanced by the requirement of wearing a face mask. To head off for Europe, via Icelandair, you have to present your vaccination card to the ticket agent. […]
Covid-19: The push is on to vaccinate our way to “herd immunity”
By Lee Egerstrom Minnesota came roaring back to normalcy for the Memorial Day weekend and start of summer but the coronavirus threat lingers on with health officials continuing to stress the importance of getting COVID-19 vaccine protection. At the same time that Gov. Tim Walz and federal officials were lifting restraints on businesses and gatherings […]
Covid-19: New rules, licenses coming for assisted living home care providers
By Lee Egerstrom New protections for elders and others residing in long term assisted living-type facilities are coming on Aug. 1 along with new requirements and licenses for home care providers and their staffs. The stepped-up requirements and licensure for assisted living facilities come about from a 2019 Minnesota law passed well before the COVID-19 […]
White Earth, Mahnomen County collaboration leads to one of highest vaccination rates in MN
By Dan Gunderson/MPR Ever since Minnesota began distributing coronavirus vaccines to the public, Mahnomen County in northwestern Minnesota has consistently run ahead of the pack, vaccinating at rates that far surpass most of its peers. As of late February, a full 85 percent of people 65-years and older in the county have been vaccinated. Mahnomen’s […]
Vaccinations start as COVID-19 deaths and infections hit milestones before the holidays
By Lee Egerstrom Vaccines for preventing the COVID-19 virus began arriving in Minnesota a week before the Christmas holidays even as the state was reaching new milestones for infections, hospitalizations and deaths. More than 3,000 frontline healthcare workers were among the first to be inoculated after initial shipments of the Pfizer vaccine reached Minnesota destinations […]
More than half of Native American workers are in risky jobs for COVID-19
By Lee Egerstrom A research group has pulled together data that show Native American workers and other minorities are at greater risk of becoming infected by COVID-19 because they hold jobs that require in-person, or face-to-face contact with others. The Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said in a Dec. 1 report that 51 […]
AICHO produces COVID-19 videos from Native physicians
By Ivy Vainio Recently, it seems every time I log onto my Facebook page, I see at least one new post about an individual or family I know who has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). Many of these folx are Indigenous. According to a recent Minnesota Public Radio article there is a 75% increase […]
Native Americans urged to get flu shot during Covid-19 pandemic
By Eddie Chuculate The Minnesota Department of Health is recommending that Native Americans get a flu shot this season, especially during COVID-19, as catching the flu would weaken your immune system and make you even more vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus disease. “The flu vaccine will not protect you from COVID-19,” the MDH said in […]
COVID-19 not going away – Minnesota workers told to work from home until June
By Lee Egerstrom Minnesota recorded 35 new deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic on Oct 20, the highest daily death count since May 28 and a day after Minnesota state officials told state employees to “work from home if you can” until June next year. This guidance for state employees came as families must make plans […]