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.

New vaccines arrive as COVID-19 wastewater levels reach 2024 highpoint
Along with the annual flu vaccine, the new COVID-19 vaccine formulation is now widely available in Minnesota. It comes at a time when COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain stable but elevated and deaths are increasing. In addition, wastewater data shows higher COVID-19 levels than measured in all of 2024.
Is your runny nose due to fall allergies or COVID?
Fall can be hard on our respiratory health. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with an allergist and an infectious disease doctor about how to diagnose, treat and prevent the things that make us sneeze, wheeze and cough.
Minnesota school test scores stabilize but COVID’s effects linger
Minnesota’s K-12 public school math and reading scores remain largely unchanged since the COVID-19-era drop, according to newly released data from the state Education Department. One positive sign: School attendance rates are rising again.
Ask an epidemiologist: Who should get the new COVID vaccine?
For more information, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with epidemiologist Michael Osterholm from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines, shots should be available in days
The Food and Drug Administration approved new shots from Pfizer and Moderna on Thursday, and the companies are set to begin shipping millions of doses. The shots are cleared for adults and children as young as 6 months, and health authorities hope far more Americans get them this year.
Updated COVID vaccines are coming soon
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to give the green light to new COVID-19 vaccines this week to protect against recent variants of the coronavirus.
COVID-19 cases rise across Indian Country
Despite high vaccination rates early on in the pandemic, tribal communities have fallen behind. Many tribal nations and health care providers have shifted their focus away from COVID-19 to preventative services and treating chronic conditions.
COVID-19 activity continues to increase in Minnesota over last 8 weeks
In the week ending Aug. 3, 218 Minnesotans were admitted to hospitals throughout the state with COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health’s most recent data. This is the eighth consecutive week of increasing COVID hospitalizations, starting from a low point of 58 admissions in the first week of June.