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.

Oct. 19 update on COVID-19 in MN: Big holiday gatherings too risky?
As Minnesota’s COVID-19 numbers continue to go the wrong way, the state’s health commissioner on Monday urged Minnesotans to rethink their plans for traditional year-end holiday celebrations.
COVID test results get faster, but still too slow to help slow disease spread
The average wait time for results of a coronavirus test has dropped to about three days, but that is still too slow to keep infected people from unknowingly spreading the virus, researchers report.
Anoka’s huge Halloween festival returns to its roots amid pandemic
This year marks a century of Halloween celebrations for the Twin Cities suburb. While COVID-19 is forcing Anoka to rein in many of its traditions, the 2020 festival has not been canceled. Here’s what the “Halloween Capital of the World” has planned.
Oct. 18 update on COVID-19 in MN: 11th straight day with 1,000+ cases
Minnesota reported 1,732 more confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday — the 11th consecutive day that the state has seen new case counts of more than 1,000. Officials also reported 17 more COVID-19 deaths, the fourth time in five days that the daily toll has been in the double digits.
Helping hands need a break, too: How to lend support without burning out
These days there are hundreds of reasons to open your heart to others, but it's easy to get exhausted. Try these tips honed by social workers for staying empathetic — and healthy.
Coronavirus FAQs: Open windows in winter, holding your breath, masks sprayed with oil?
This week our readers have questions about whether opening windows during winter will make indoor gatherings safer, trying not to breathe during a brief encounter with an unmasked person, and spraying a mask with... oil?
Rural Midwest hospitals struggling to handle virus surge
“One or two people with infections can really cause a large impact when you have one grocery store or gas station,” one health official said as the brunt of the coronavirus has blown into the Upper Midwest and northern Plains. “There is such a ripple effect.”