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.

Many were denied Minnesota 'hero pay,' advocate says there were barriers
More than 214,000 applications Minnesota’s “hero pay” were denied. That’s 18 percent of all who applied. While some were issues of duplicates, identity verification or income limits, Matt Riley says the process still had barriers for some communities.
The U.K. approved omicron-specific booster shots. They're coming to the U.S. soon
In the U.S., officials have asked vaccine makers to target BA.5, rather than the original omicron strain. That has delayed the boosters' development — but officials hope they will be more effective.
CDC raises COVID risk ratings in Minnesota, eases national guidance
On Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on “minimizing the impact of COVID-19.” As widely reported, the new guidance eased recommended restrictions by lifting quarantine requirements for those who have been exposed to COVID-19 without feeling symptoms. This week’s CDC map for Minnesota shows many more counties at high risk — 22 up from nine the previous week. But case and wastewater data shows that the increasing rates seen in the last few weeks may be slowing.