Vaccines on the way for younger Minnesotans

 

View this email as a web page May 11, 2021 Tonight will have clear skies with lows in the 30s and a frost advisory for southeastern Minnesota into Wednesday morning. Tomorrow will be sunny with highs in the 60s. The National Weather Service is also warning of near critical fire danger in northeastern Minnesota Wednesday afternoon.Get the latest on Updraft. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is expected to receive full approval for use in 12 to 15 year-olds, possibly by the end of the day Wednesday. Minnesotans  could start seeing vaccinations in this age group as early as Thursday.     Kris Ehresmann with the Minnesota Department of Health says they've been seeing more virus transmission among younger people in schools and sports settings.  " By being able to get the whole adolescent age group have the potential to get them vaccinated, as well as adults," Ehresmann said. "That makes a huge difference in terms of, you know, really being able to tamp down transmission." Gov. Tim Walz said yesterday that the Pfizer approval would expand coverage to another 300,000 young Minnesotans.  Pfizer has begun a clinical trial for ages 6 months and up, and it's possible that they could seek approval for that age group in late summer or fall.  New COVID cases hit one of their lowest daily levels of 2021 Tuesday, but vaccinations continue to tumble, as well.  The latest data from the state health department reports just 583 new confirmed COVID cases. It's only the eighth time this year that the daily case numbers have fallen below 600, and brings the seven-day rolling average below 1,200 per day for the first time since March. Tests are also declining, hitting their lowest point in eight weeks.  New vaccinations totaled only 6,600. That's up from a week ago, but still reflects a more than 50 percent drop in people seeking vaccinations in the last two weeks.  There were nine new deaths reported.  Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get the up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Tim Nelson | MPR News Futures of Twin Cities downtowns in flux as workers trickle back As cities around the country prepare to welcome back office workers who've been on the job at home, there are big questions about just who will return and what post-pandemic downtowns will look like. Judge denies media requests for cameras at Potter hearing A Minnesota judge on Tuesday denied media requests to allow cameras at an upcoming hearing for a suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in Daunte Wright's death. Kim Potter, 48, is charged with manslaughter in Wright's death during a traffic stop April 11 in Brooklyn Center.  Can schools require COVID-19 vaccines for students now that Pfizer's shot is authorized? With the first COVID-19 vaccine now authorized for adolescents, ages 12 and up, a big question looms: Will students be required to get the vaccine before returning to their classrooms in the fall? St. Paul man accused of stealing coronavirus vaccines Police in a St. Paul suburb are investigating the theft of coronavirus vaccines after a man recorded and posted videos on social media of him walking away with vials of what he said was "poison" and that he had plans to have the vaccines tested at a lab. 2 men charged with assaulting police in Capitol riot ordered jailed pending trial A federal judge has ordered two men who are charged with conspiracy for allegedly assaulting police officers during the Capitol riot to be detained pending trial. 28 reported dead in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes; Gaza rockets kill 3 in Israel Israel warned that airstrikes on Gaza would continue over the coming days as at least 28 Palestinians and three Israelis were reported killed amid rising cross-border violence sparked by clashes in Jerusalem. Prosecutor to seek hate crime charges, death penalty for spa shooting suspect A man accused of killing eight people in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses has been indicted on murder charges in two counties. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent. SPONSOR   State High School League rejects boys volleyball in Tuesday vote Minnesota's state high school league rejected a proposal to add boy's volleyball to its list of supported sports programs this morning. Ahead of the vote, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Jenny Kilkelly, director and president of the Minnesota Boys' High School Volleyball Association. Preference Center ❘ Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio 480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101