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 surgeon general's young daughter got COVID. This is what he wants you to know
This past weekend, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wasn't a leading scientific voice on the pandemic — he was another worried parent whose young daughter had just tested positive for COVID.
Minnesota rural hospital workers feel the strain as colleagues leave, COVID stays
For nurses and other medical staff across rural Minnesota, it's work upon work as they struggle to manage through the pandemic. One north-central Minnesota hospital captures the challenges of trying to find new people to replace those leaving — an expensive and stressful effort as the pandemic hits year three.
COVID forces hard school choices for students with Down syndrome and their families
The pandemic has forced some of Minnesota’s youngest and oldest learners with Down syndrome to miss out on in-person education and programs vital to their progress. School leaders say it’s an immense challenge to catch up on lost learning.
This 16-year-old wanted to get the COVID vaccine. He had to hide it from his parents
At 16, Nicolas Montero is old enough to get vaccinated on his own in some parts of the country. But he had to try to get the jabs without his parents knowing, since they're opposed to the vaccine.
Despite plans, precautions, COVID-19 nearly broke Minnesota hospitals. Why?
The COVID-19 pandemic defied the preparations of health care and political leaders, and has taken a toll on a care system that could last for years. As Minnesota heads into the third year of COVID, hospitals in the state are just crawling out of what may be their hardest struggle with treating patients since it all started. So why were hospitals so overwhelmed for so long?
If you're finding this stage of the pandemic especially confusing, you're not alone
It's another discombobulating moment in the pandemic, with conflicting signs of where the virus is heading and what people should do about it on a daily basis. If you feel that way, you're not alone.
Pandemic challenging disabled students, their families and their schools
Life in the pandemic has been challenging for many students, but for disabled students and their families, there is an added, ongoing struggle as they work to ensure they get the services they’re legally entitled to under state and federal law, while mitigating risks of COVID exposure.
A Mayo doctor warns lawmakers of long-haul COVID's health, economic toll
Some 2.2 million Americans may be unable to return to work because of long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, according to a Mayo Clinic expert. He warned state lawmakers to prepare for workplace disruptions and to support greater collaboration across health systems to improve research and access to care for long COVID.