Tag: COVID-19

Rep. Schultz announces MinnesotaCare Public Option to help Minnesotans struggling with high health care costs

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL – Duluth) was joined by small business owners, faith leaders, and health care experts as she outlined new legislation to help ensure all Minnesotans can access affordable, quality health care. The MinnesotaCare Public Option would allow Minnesotans to enroll in the program to take advantage of lower out-of-pocket costs and access to a strong network of providers.

“Minnesota families, local communities, and our state’s economy are all stronger when everyone has the health care they need. The MinnesotaCare Public Option builds upon a proven program that has served our state well for nearly three decades to expand coverage to more Minnesotans and help tackle high health care costs,” Rep. Schultz said. “COVID-19 also continues to impact the health of Minnesotans, and many of them worry about themselves or a family member getting the virus. The MinnesotaCare Public Option is a solution for this pivotal moment to ensure everyone can count on the care they need, no exceptions.”

A bipartisan initiative created in 1992, MinnesotaCare provides health care for low-income Minnesotans. Rep. Schultz’s legislation would allow Minnesotans beyond the current income guidelines to enroll in the program, paying premiums on a sliding, income-based scale.

The MinnesotaCare Public Option also expands eligibility by eliminating the so-called “family glitch” and allowing undocumented immigrants the option to enroll in MinnesotaCare. Finally, the legislation allows small employers to offer MinnesotaCare coverage to their employees and contribute toward the full cost of their premiums. Currently, many small businesses would like to offer coverage to their workers, but they often find coverage under the small group market unaffordable.

Altarum Healthcare Value Hub also announced results of a new survey showing many Minnesotans are struggling with high health care costs. As COVID-19 adds new fears for Minnesotans already experiencing health care difficulties, support for new solutions – including expanded affordable health insurance options – has increased across party lines.

The MinnesotaCare Public Option legislation received its first committee hearing Tuesday in the House Health Finance & Policy Committee.

New coronavirus variants accelerate race to make sure vaccines keep up

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NOTE: This article is provided free to read by The Washington Post.

Moderna has begun developing a new vaccine against the South African variant as a precaution

The scientific and pharmaceutical race to keep coronavirus vaccines ahead of new virus variants escalated Monday, even as a highly transmissible variantfirst detected in people who had recently traveled to Brazil was discovered in Minnesota.

Moderna, the maker of one of the two authorized coronavirus vaccines in the United States, announced it would develop and test a new vaccine tailored to block a similar mutation-riddled virus variant in case an updated shot becomes necessary.

The effort is a precautionary step. Evidence released Monday suggested that the Moderna vaccine will still work against two variants of concern that emerged in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The plan highlights that the scientists who responded with unprecedented speed and success to develop coronavirus vaccines are already moving to address new challenges. It also amplifies the urgency of getting as many people immunized with current vaccines as quickly as possible.

Birx says someone was giving Trump ‘parallel data’ about Covid pandemic

Dr. Deborah Birx, the Trump White House coronavirus response coordinator, said in a CBS interview released on Sunday that Former President Donald Trump had been reviewing “parallel” data sets on the coronavirus pandemic from someone inside the administration.

“I saw the president presenting graphs that I never made,” Birx told Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” “Someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president.”

Birx, who announced her retirement as President Joe Biden took office last week, said she doesn’t know the identity of the person who gave the president different information. She added that there were Covid-19 deniers within the Trump administration. Continue reading.

Numerous Capitol Police officers who responded to riot test positive for coronavirus

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Since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, 38 U.S. Capitol Police employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the head of the officers’ union said Saturday. Cases are also climbing among members of the D.C. National Guard stationed around the Capitol.

Meantime, the Justice Department said five more people have been arrested in the Capitol riot, including a county jail guard from New Jersey who took an “emergency holiday” from work to travel to Washington and a Federal Aviation Administration employee from California who is a QAnon follower, court records stated.

In another development, two police officers from rural Virginia who had admitted their participation in the Capitol siege were suspended without pay by their department after a search warrant affidavit disclosed that one told a friend on Jan. 10: “I’m going to war . . . DC on the 20th for sure.” Continue reading.

Meet the man tasked with fixing America’s bungled COVID vaccine rollout

President Joe Biden has appointed former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner David Kessler to take on one of the least enviable yet most important roles of his upcoming administration: overseeing the rollout of COVID vaccines.

Kessler is a longtime FDA vet, physician, and lawyer who oversaw the critical agency from 1990 to 1997. But he has his work cut out for him as the push for widespread COVID vaccination brushes up against logistical uncertainty and an unruly rollout that has already frustrated multiple state leaders and public health officials.

Why Kessler for this highly specialized role, technically dubbed the chief science officer for COVID response? A breadth of experience across the medical industry and regulatory agencies. As a former FDA commissioner and medical school dean, Kessler understands the intricacies of how health systems work with the federal government and has a finger on the pulse of public health messaging. Continue reading.

FEMA would operate up to 100 federally run mass vaccination sites under Biden plan

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NOTE: This article provided for all to read by The Washington Post.

A draft document envisions different models for sites, with the largest capable of handling 6,000 doses a day

Up to 100 sites run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could begin offering coronavirus vaccine within the next month, part of a strategy that would dramatically expand the federal government’s role in the effort to corral the pandemic.

The plan, which was announced by President Biden on his first day in office, is already taking shape in the form of a draft “Concept of Operations,” which was obtained by The Washington Post. The document envisions FEMA, which previously had more of a piecemeal role in pandemic response, fully unleashed.

Its mission will be to “provide federal support to existing or new community vaccination centers and mobile clinics across the country.” Continue reading.

Republicans shift to limit, not undo, Minnesota governor’s emergency powers

They want to limit, not undo, Walz’s authority.

After spending most of last year trying to undo Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers, Republicans in control of the Minnesota Senate are trying a new strategy.

They’ve introduced more than half a dozen proposals this session that would not end the peacetime state of emergency outright but would dramatically change how long the governor could wield executive power without legislative approval and limit his ability to shutter schools and businesses in response to the corona­virus pandemic.

“It’s one of our strongest messages that we’ll push this year,” said Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, whose measure would allow businesses to fully reopen if they have a COVID-19 safety plan in place. Continue reading.

Walz: Minnesota progressing toward 3 million vaccinated target

Walz visits care center, acknowledges vaccine rollout was sluggish. 

Gov. Tim Walz said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine has been frustrating at times, but that Minnesota has made progress in immunizing the most vulnerable of the 3 million or so people in the state who need to receive shots.

The governor on Friday visited a New Hope nursing home — where in-person indoor visits are allowed again and workers and residents have received shots — to demonstrate that Minnesota is on a return to normalcy. The state on Friday reported that all nursing home residents in Minnesota have been offered vaccinations and 80% received at least first doses.

“This is a true vision of what the end of the tunnel looks like,” said Walz, standing in a lobby to the Good Samaritan Society-Ambassador facility that would have been off limits a few days ago. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: January 22, 2021

Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, House and Senate DFL Energy Leads Announce Plan to Achieve 100 Percent Clean Energy in Minnesota by 2040


On Thursday,  Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced a set of policy proposals that will lead Minnesota to 100 percent clean energy in the state’s electricity sector by 2040. The policies build on the success that Minnesota has already achieved in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the use of clean energy resources to power the state while ensuring reliable, affordable electricity.

“The time to fight climate change is now,” said Governor Walz. “Not only is clean energy the right and responsible choice for future generations, clean energy maximizes job creation and grows our economy, which is especially important as we work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. I am proud to announce a set of policy proposals that will lead Minnesota to 100% clean energy in the state’s electricity sector by 2040. Minnesotans have the ingenuity and innovation needed to power this future, and we are ready to pioneer the green energy economy.”

Photo courtesy of the Star Tribune 

As Governor Walz Calls for Further Supply from Federal Government, Minnesota Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program

On Monday, Governor Tim Walz announced that Minnesota has launched a COVID-19 vaccine pilot program in partnership with local public health and school districts. These sites will initially serve adults 65 years of age or older, as well as prekindergarten through grade 12 educators, school staff, and child care workers. The community vaccination pilot program will be the foundation for mass vaccination clinics in Minnesota communities once the federal government increases vaccine supply. The nine pilot sites launched this week with a small number of doses for eligible Minnesotans.

Governor Walz looks forward to partnering with the Biden administration on procuring more vaccines for Minnesotans. He sent a letter with other governors last week expressing frustration with the previous administration’s botched COVID-19 vaccine distribution and urged the federal government to purchase as many doses of the safe and effective vaccine as possible so states can get more shots in arms in the coming weeks. 

Governor Walz Visits Long-Term Care Center, Discusses Vaccination Effort

Today, Governor Walz visited a rehabilitation and skilled nursing care center to discuss the successful vaccination effort in long-term care settings. As of Thursday, more than 203,000 Minnesotans have gotten at least their first dose of
vaccine. Nearly 42,000 Minnesotans have received both doses. The most recent data reported to the State of Minnesota shows that 43,000 individuals in long-term care settings have received a shot via our pharmacy partners.

Governor Walz Appoints Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

Governor Walz today appointed Roslyn Robertson as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Robertson’s extensive history of leadership at DLI most recently includes her service as Temporary Commissioner. This appointment follows an application review and interview process beginning with a call for applications last fall. Robertson replaces Nancy Leppink as Commissioner for a term beginning today.

Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Lives Lost to COVID-19

United States flag at half mast, seen from below with the sun behind

On Monday, Governor Walz directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 to remember, mourn, and honor lives lost due to COVID-19. Governor Walz encouraged all Minnesotans to light a candle in their window as a sign of remembrance and unity during these challenging times.

Governor Walz Urges Minnesotans to Download Minnesota’s COVID-19 Exposure Notification App

Now more than ever, we need your help to share the news about COVIDaware MN. As Minnesota opens up, make sure your friends & families understand their COVID-19 exposure risk. COVIDaware MN notifies you if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, and you can anonymously alert others if you test positive. 

Get the COVIDaware MN app from the App Store or Google Play Store. 

Biden’s Covid team grapples with a basic question: Where’s all the vaccine?

States are warning they’re running out of the vaccine, with little sense of when more will arrive.

As President Joe Biden spent his first full day in office issuing executive actions aimed at containing the coronavirus, his administration scrambled to get a handle on a key unanswered question: How much vaccine is actually available?

Conflicting accounts of supply totals have bedeviled federal and state health officials, complicating the new administration’s sweeping pandemic response plan and casting fresh doubts on how long it will take Biden to bring the virus under control.

Just about half of the nearly 38 million Covid-19 shots distributed by the federal government have been administered to date, according to Centers for Disease Control data. That indicates there’s a glut of unused doses around the country. Continue reading.