Health

The federal moratorium on evictions during the pandemic expires July 31, but Minnesota state lawmakers designed an “off-ramp” that gives renters here more time.

An air quality alert remains in effect until Tuesday for most of Minnesota as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to make its way through the state and the surrounding region this week. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with an allergist at Midwest Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialists about what people can do to minimize inhaling harmful particles. 

September was expected to be the month of mass returns to the office. Now the surging extra-contagious coronavirus variant has employers wondering what to do.

With the rise of the delta variant, the CDC recommends even vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in areas where community transmission is substantial or high. In Minnesota that includes more than 30 counties — including nearly all of the Twin Cities metro area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information dated Thursday gives new details on this variant of the coronavirus and says the agency should "acknowledge that the war has changed." It was first reported by The Washington Post.

After more than a year of pandemic learning, Minnesota schools are using summer sessions to give students the chance to do the sort of in-person learning some have missed since March 2020. But even with expanded offerings, many summer sessions haven't been able to meet a rise in demand from students and families. 

Minnesota will offer $100 incentives to people who get their first vaccination dose between Friday and Aug. 15, as Gov. Tim Walz quickly embraces the effort outlined by President Joe Biden.

Cyclist Phil Gaimon was competing in a race that could have won him a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, a crash landed him in two hospitals where his out-of-network surgeries garnered huge bills.

The brand-name version of the once-daily pill that is 99 percent effective at preventing HIV used to cost upwards of $1,800 a month. Federal guidance now makes getting the drug with insurance cheaper.

The change gives health workers more time to use millions of doses, rather than discarding them. Expiration dates are based on data from drugmakers on how long the shots stay at the right strength.