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.

Reporter Catharine Richert with the latest on Minn.'s first case of omicron
Minnesota has its first reported case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Reporter Catherine Richert joined host Cathy Wurzer to share the latest details on the case from the Minnesota Department of Health.
As omicron looms, U.S. is still battling the delta wave
While all eyes are on the new and little-understood omicron variant, the delta form of the coronavirus isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., sending record numbers of patients to the hospital in some states, especially in the Midwest and New England.
Latest on COVID: Omicron variant surfaces in Minnesota
A Hennepin County man who recently attended a massive anime convention in New York City tested positive. “While this is clearly something to take seriously … it is not a reason for panic,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.
What you can expect when vaccines become available for kids under 5
Parents of children under 5 have to wait a little bit longer before COVID vaccines are available. In the meantime pediatricians are still working to increase vaccinations in the 5-11 age group.
Sending the right message about the omicron variant is tricky
Scientists may not know for a couple weeks yet how risky the new coronavirus variant will be to public health. But getting out front now about what is known helps dispel misinformation, they say.
Biden's new winter COVID plan will reimburse you for at-home tests
Among his new steps to fight COVID-19 surges this winter: requiring private health insurers to reimburse people for at-home tests. It also calls for more people to get vaccines and boosters.
The mystery of where omicron came from — and why it matters
How did this new strain of the novel coronavirus evolve? Researchers are investigating various possibilities. One leading theory involves ... just one person.
A different kind of COVID vaccine is about ready to roll
Protein subunit vaccines work by injecting people with a tiny portion of a virus. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, that tiny portion is the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to enter cells.
Latest on COVID in MN: Case surge appears to ebb; hospital needs still high
The newest numbers offer some hope the fall wave has crested. Hospitalizations, however, remain concerning. Minnesota remains “firmly in the grip” of the COVID virus, the state’s health commissioner said Wednesday.