Feb. 18, 2021
We might see temperatures reach near the 40s next week! But tonight? Still cold. Mostly cloudy, with highs ranging around 1 to 8 below zero and a chance of flurries. Friday we expect partly cloudy skies, and highs ranging from 12 to 18. Find the latest from Updraft. Bad weather across most of the U.S. will delay vaccine appointments on Friday and Saturday in at least eight locations in Minnesota. The Health Department says it is monitoring the situation closely with the CDC. Dakota and Olmsted counties have said they are postponing vaccine clinics. The state is launching a new vaccine enrollment website to handle COVID-19 vaccine signups. The site isn't a one-stop. The announcement of the new initiative says that the system will alert Minnesotans of their eligibility, connect them to resources to schedule an appointment and provide information on nearby vaccination opportunities. Minnesotans will still have to make their own appointment to get a shot through a vaccine provider. New COVID variants are a serious cause for concern at a time when more Minnesota students are poised to go back to school, says U of M infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm. "Based on the data we see from Europe and from the Middle East is when B117 takes off because of its increased transmissibility that in fact even schools at the youngest ages can contribute to community wide transmission both between kids and through the teacher," Osterholm told host Kerri Miler on MPR News this morning. Listen to their conversation here. Minnesota’s COVID numbers show the state on a steady, positive path, with key metrics continuing to improve. Known, active cases have stayed below 7,000 for three straight days this week, the first time that’s happened since late September. Public health officials reported 771 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the latest figures. The deaths reported today are of people over age 60, with the exception of one person who died in their 30s. So far almost a half a million people have been infected with the virus in Minnesota -- and just over 6,400 have died. You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Nina Moini | MPR News | 
