Severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings issued for Twin Cities metro area

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Summer is in full swing in Minnesota. COVID-19 case numbers have reached

. More than 60 percent of Minnesotans 16 and up are fully vaccinated. And just a handful of patients with COVID-19 are being admitted to the hospital each day.

But public health officials aren’t quite ready to relax. Vaccination rates have stalled. At the current rate, it will be mid-August before Minnesota reaches the milestone of getting at least one shot into 70 percent of adults 16 and older. In some states, herd immunity

. Vaccination rates in the South hover in the 30 percent range. Medical officials in

 say vaccine hesitancy is leading to a spike in new hospitalizations.

Officials are also alarmed by the rapid spread of the new

, which is the most contagious version of the virus to date. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, says it’s likely the new strain will become dominant in the United States within weeks.

Is a new surge inevitable? How big of a threat is the delta variant? Monday at 9 a.m., host Kerri Miller talked with two medical experts about the latest research.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: 

Shows

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Health

COVID-19

Host

Author

Vaccination rates are at a near standstill. Meanwhile, the most contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus yet is spreading quickly in the United States. Is another surge inevitable?

COVID cases are down but so are vaccinations, leading to fears of another surge

Go Deeper.

Like this?