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.

January 23, 2022 8:11 AM

Why rapid COVID tests aren't more accurate, and how scientists hope to improve them

Recent research — and plenty of anecdotes — suggest some rapid tests may be less sensitive at detecting the omicron variant if you don't have symptoms. Here's how researchers hope to make them more effective.

by Maria Godoy

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January 23, 2022 5:02 AM

How colleges are dealing with high COVID case counts on campus

Despite the omicron surge, college students are starting the spring semester on campus – and administrators are bracing for the worst.

by Elissa Nadworny and Anya Steinberg

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January 21, 2022 2:11 PM

There's now a phone line to order your free at-home COVID tests

The phone number — 1-800-232-0233 — follows the launch earlier this week of a federal website to order the tests.

by Benjamin Swasey

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January 21, 2022 1:54 PM

Coronavirus FAQ: What's the risk of catching omicron outdoors?

Previous versions of the coronavirus didn't transmit as easily outdoors thanks to airflow that dispersed viral particles. But what about the highly transmissible omicron variant?

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

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January 21, 2022 1:33 PM

Bars, eateries sue Minneapolis over mayor's vaccine mandate

Owners of several bars and restaurants want a judge to toss the mayor’s recent COVID-19 order requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to enter public places serving food and drink, calling it a “significant hurdle” to business.

by MPR News Staff

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January 21, 2022 12:12 PM

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Surge path unclear as backlogs worsen

Minnesota’s newest COVID-19 data remains clouded by severe post-holiday reporting lags, making it difficult to know if the state’s past the current surge peak, or still climbing.

by MPR News Staff

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January 21, 2022 4:01 AM

Families are in distress after the first month without the expanded child tax credit

January is the first month since July 2021 that more than 36 million families in the U.S. did not receive money from the expanded child tax credit program. For some, the consequences are already dire.

by Deepa Shivaram

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January 20, 2022 8:13 PM

The nursing home staffing crisis right now is like nothing we've seen before

COVID cases and deaths are rising again in nursing homes across the country due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Staffing shortages are adding to strain and workers report "moral distress."

by Rhitu Chatterjee

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January 20, 2022 4:48 PM

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom

The people who take care of and educate children under 5 years old, who are too young to be vaccinated, are in a special kind of hell right now.

by Anya Kamenetz

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January 20, 2022 4:33 PM

Listener dispatches from Day 1 of the Twin Cities restaurant vaccination mandate

Wednesday was the first day of the latest restaurant vaccination mandates in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We wanted to hear how it went, and listeners answered — here's what you shared with Minnesota Now.

by Cathy Wurzer and Lindsay Guentzel

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COVID-19: Coverage of the pandemic from MPR News

Why rapid COVID tests aren't more accurate, and how scientists hope to improve them

How colleges are dealing with high COVID case counts on campus

There's now a phone line to order your free at-home COVID tests

Coronavirus FAQ: What's the risk of catching omicron outdoors?

Bars, eateries sue Minneapolis over mayor's vaccine mandate

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Surge path unclear as backlogs worsen

Families are in distress after the first month without the expanded child tax credit

The nursing home staffing crisis right now is like nothing we've seen before

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom

Listener dispatches from Day 1 of the Twin Cities restaurant vaccination mandate

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