COVID-19: Coverage of the pandemic from MPR News

The latest news, resources, guides and tips to help you stay up to date on the coronavirus pandemic.

Year of pandemic has been a baptism by fire for COVID-19 contact tracer
It's been a baptism by fire for one recent college graduate, who was thrust into the midst of the pandemic this year as a contact tracer, while she was still in school.
Correctional facilities are COVID-19 hot spots. Why don't they get vaccine priority?
Prisons, jails and detention centers have much higher coronavirus case and fatality rates than the general public. But attitudes toward inmates mean bank tellers may get vaccinated before they do.
MSU Mankato addresses hunger on campus with free groceries now, food pantry in the spring
As COVID-19 continues to exacerbate the needs of people in Minnesota, including food access and hunger, those problems can also be found on college campuses. At Minnesota State University, Mankato, the college is stepping in to feed its students.
GOP blocks $2,000 checks as Trump leaves COVID aid in chaos
House Republicans shot down a Democratic bid on Thursday to pass President Donald Trump's longshot, end-of-session demand for $2,000 direct payments to most Americans before signing a long-overdue COVID-19 relief bill.
Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa's top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed.
Sauk Centre offers COVID-19 hospital workers a show of support
Last month, the CentraCare health system in central Minnesota announced it would shift its hospital in Sauk Centre to caring almost exclusively for patients with COVID-19. It was a big change for health care workers and residents of the close-knit town.
COVID-19 relief bill could stave off historic wave of evictions
A rental assistance program in the bill is key for helping millions of struggling renters at risk of losing their homes in the middle of winter as the pandemic rages on.
'Trusted messengers, trusted messages': How to overcome vaccine hesitancy
As the first COVID-19 vaccines begin to be rolled out across the U.S., community leaders in diverse groups already are working hard to dispel misinformation and reach skeptics with the truth.