Good morning, and welcome to Wednesday.
Booster shots will soon be available to all Minnesotans, as the COVID-19 surge continues. Key metrics are at or near their highest levels since December with counts rising rapidly. The rate of COVID-19 tests coming back positive topped 10 percent Tuesday, according to MPR News calculations . That’s twice the rate officials find concerning — a key signal the virus’ spread is accelerating. The state is concerned enough about the current situation that officials intend to move ahead this week to offer vaccine booster shots to any eligible Minnesota who wants one, whether or not federal officials expand eligibility, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Tuesday. “Minnesota is now the fastest growing hot spot in the country” based on numbers of cases per 100,000 people, Malcolm said. Hospitalizations are especially concerning right now. Bed counts that fell below 100 in mid-July jumped in the late fall; 1,348 people are hospitalized now with COVID — the highest count all year — with 307 needing intensive care.
For the first time in several years, the total year-over-year cost of providing health care for Minnesotans with private insurance decreased in 2020. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports : Before the pandemic, the annual cost of health care increased at about 5 percent a year. Minnesota Community Measurement's president Julie Sonier said health care costs decreased by 2.5 percent last year. "It was not at all surprising to see that decline in cost because we knew that there was so much disruption and delay in care,” Sonier said. “You know, it was a little surprising to me to see how much some of these services dropped. But I think this is really the first sort of hard numbers that we've been able to put around this in Minnesota, around what was the impact of the pandemic." While the cost of care overall was down last year, pharmacy costs went up more than 11 percent. That's the biggest jump since Minnesota Community Measurement started tracking the numbers in 2014.
Minnesota plans to require hundreds of industrial facilities and other sites to test for PFAS, the troublesome human-made substances sometimes known as “forever chemicals.”MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports: State environmental regulators released the draft plan on Tuesday, calling it a critical step in better understanding how the chemicals are getting into the environment, and potentially reducing their levels. “Unfortunately, PFAS is not just a concern in surface water and fish,” said Katrina Kessler, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency commissioner. “We know that PFAS can move readily from air sources to land to groundwater, surface water to biota and to humans.” The draft plan targets state-permitted industrial facilities that likely use or discharge PFAS, or have in the past. Those include chrome platers and auto shredders — industries with a history of PFAS emissions — as well as landfills, airports and wastewater treatment plants. State regulators say the data will help them identify areas of concern and could lead to facilities being required to reduce or eliminate their PFAS emission levels.
A pioneering Minnesota lawmaker says she’ll retire next year after 16 years in office. Brian Bakst has the story: DFL Sen. Patricia Torres Ray will give up her Minneapolis seat after completing her current term. She was the first Latina woman to serve in the Senate and has been a leader among lawmakers of color in the Legislature. Torres Ray said she has been a proud advocate of the marginalized and excluded and that her decision to retire wasn’t an easy one. She is the 12th legislator to announce a departure from her seat. Most are leaving office altogether but some are pursuing higher office. Turnover at the Capitol tends to be larger in elections following the once-per-decade redistricting.
Another DFL senator is defending Health Commissioner Malcolm. Reacting to an MPR News interview with Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, Sen. John Marty disputed the notion that Malcolm has been unwilling to communicate with Miller and other legislators . The Health Department has held regular briefings during the pandemic and invited all legislators from both parties, Marty said. “Commissioner Malcolm has been present at almost all of the briefings and has responded to all the questions participants asked. She has remained in close contact with the committee chairs and members who work with her agency,” Marty wrote in a statement. “As one who works on public health issues, I hear from Commissioner Malcolm and her office routinely and know she responds to questions promptly. If Senator Miller has chosen not to participate in the briefings and if he has never reached out to her to talk until now, that is a shortcoming on his part, not proof that she refuses to communicate. Any implications that she has kept the Legislature out of the loop are false.” Senate Republicans have said they may vote on Malcolm’s confirmation during a special legislative session. If the Senate rejects the confirmation, Malcolm would be out of a job. | 