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.

The FDA is expected to authorize 2nd boosters for people 50 and up
People aged 50 and over could soon be eligible for a second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccine booster. The administration wants to offer the shots as immunity from the first booster is waning.
Minnesota ending mail-in COVID testing, launches at-home rapid test program
The state of Minnesota says it is “sunsetting” its longstanding mail-order COVID-19 lab test program through Vault Health this week, and will start offering at-home rapid tests through the mail starting Tuesday.
Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Hospital needs falling rapidly
COVID-19 conditions continue to ease in Minnesota, with a little more than 200 patients in the hospital now and known, active cases falling significantly since the start of March.
Evidence grows that vaccines lower the risk of getting long COVID
Though findings are preliminary, many studies suggest that vaccinated people have good protection against the condition, although just how much is still up for debate.
When 2 coronavirus variants meet inside 1 person, a Frankenstein hybrid can be born
That's how the so-called "deltacron" variant — a mashup of delta and omicron — came to be. This process of recombining tells us a lot about the possible past and future of SARS-CoV-2.
St. Paul school board votes to keep mask mandate in place
St. Paul Public Schools will be keeping a mask mandate in place for now, even as most other districts in the state have dropped face covering requirements amid a decreasing number of new COVID cases.
Moderna says its low-dose COVID shots work for kids under 6
Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers. The company announced early findings from a study of children younger than 6 on Wednesday.
Lifesaving COVID drugs are sitting unused on pharmacy shelves, HHS data shows
States and health providers report they've dispensed less than half their supply from the government, raising fears that the drugs may go to waste while people who could benefit get sicker.