CORONAVIRUS

Scores dropped by 11 points from 2019, placing the state among the 10 biggest decreases in that age group nationally.

Legislators passed a bill this spring to provide $500 million in bonus checks to workers who had to report to their jobs during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and put themselves at greater risk than those who were able to work remotely.

For Fay Haataja, of Carlton County, the post-COVID program at Essentia Health helped her overcome debilitating headaches, brain fog and long-term memory loss after more than a year of symptoms.

Midway through the pandemic’s third year, the changing measures of the COVID-19 outbreak have made it trickier to understand how much coronavirus is circulating and the prospects for another surge.

The new Pfizer booster, which has a combination of the original COVID strain and the omicron variant, is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals age 12 and older.

Even though wastewater surveillance is proving to be the most accurate and economical way to gauge COVID activity in communities across the country, funding for this type of tracking hasn’t been consistent. And data collection is sometimes paused while wastewater researchers look for new ways to pay for the surveillance. Besides COVID, the technique is being used to track the spread of monkeypox.

At an April event held by anti-COVID restriction group Mask Off MN, Jensen drew parallels between pandemic restrictions and the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

Workers had until July 22 to apply for the bonus pay, and the state ended up receiving 1,199,416 applications — almost double the 667,000 applications lawmakers expected to receive. Now about 18% face rejection and have until the end of August to appeal.

Bebtelovimab is designed as a treatment option for those newly diagnosed with COVID-19 who cannot take Paxlovid and are deemed at high risk of severe outcomes. It replaces a series of monoclonal treatments that no longer are effective against virus due to mutation.