Good morning! Some flurries are possible in parts of southern Minnesota today; otherwise cloudy across the state. The light snow overnight in southwest Minnesota, combined with cold temperatures, creates slippery road conditions for our Tuesday morning commute. Highs today will range from 5 to 10 north, to 15 to 25 south. Get the latest on the Updraft. It's the back-to-school day, again, for many of Minnesota's youngest learners. Thousands of elementary students will be on their way to school this morning — some of them seeing their classrooms in person for the first time ever. That's because of a change in state guidance, announced last month, allows elementary schools to resume in-person learning, regardless of local COVID-19 case rates. Minnesotans age 65 and older, teachers, and school workers are now eligible to get COVID vaccine, but it'll take a few months to cover the expanded pool. Minnesota is planning to open nine new community vaccination centers as health officials expand the number of people eligible for initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine. But not all Minnesotans who are eligible to get a vaccine under the new program will be able to get it immediately -- with the state receiving only about 60,000 doses a week, it will take more than four months to get through the 1 million or so newly eligible Minnesotans, health officials say. Efforts underway to counter vaccine fears in St. Cloud’s Somali American community In St. Cloud’s Somali American community, there's deep distrust around vaccinations that predates the COVID-19 pandemic, and questions already are swirling. Some local health officials and community leaders worry that might prevent people from getting the vaccine.
Monday's COVID numbers give us more hope: 12 more deaths, fewer than 1,000 new cases. The deaths were among the lowest in months and the new case count fell below 1,000 for only the second time in 2021. The seven-day average positivity rate is now at 4.6 percent, marking a third straight day below a 5 percent threshold health officials consider concerning. Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:5,939 deaths (12 more)447,349 positive cases (980 new), 429,325 off isolation (96 percent) 6.2 million tests, 3.2 million people tested 4.6 percent seven-day positive test rate After weeks of post-election turmoil, Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the U.S. tomorrow. The inauguration is going to look vastly different than those of his predecessors, given the ongoing pandemic and heightened security concerns after the Capitol riot two weeks ago. There will be no throngs of people massed beneath a platform at the Capitol. Also absent will be President Donald Trump, who's skipping town early. Here's what you can expect on Wednesday. At 9 a.m. today on MPR News with Kerri Miller: What is the Democratic Party’s mandate? What do the results from this year’s election tell us about the priorities of Democratic voters? Two political scientists join host Kerri Miller to share their views on the eve of Biden’s inauguration. 🎧 Tune in to stay informed and connected. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today. — Jiwon Choi, MPR News | 