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Dear Neighbor
I hope you’re staying well and warm.
With the dangerously frigid weather pushing on, help is available with utility bills, to repair or replace homeowners’ malfunctioning furnaces, and to purchase fuel for delivery in emergencies. If you or someone you know might need energy assistance this winter, the Minnesota Department of Commerce has more information on eligibility and the successful, federally-funded program here.
COVID-19 Update
As of today, 599,218 Minnesotans have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 177,239 completing the series. Many in our community have expressed their frustration with not being able to get a COVID-19 vaccine. I share your frustration, and appreciate your patience and understanding while our public health experts work as quickly as possible to get the vaccine out to those most at-risk.
The reality we are facing is that both of these initiatives are still very limited in scope because of the limited supply of the vaccine. I’ve been in regular communication with Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and MDH to urge swift action to increase incoming doses from the federal government, and to ensure that we’re maximizing efforts to get shots into as many arms as quickly as we can. We must be strategic and efficient with our limited supply as we work to follow the CDC’s recommendations.
Many COVID-19 metrics are also headed in the right direction, with case counts and positivity rates falling. While this is all good news, we can’t let our guard down. Last week, the House Health Committee heard from Dr. Michael Osterholm, world-renowned epidemiologist and Director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Dr. Osterholm shared his concerns about a pair of highly contagious emerging variants of the virus, and stressed the need to continue physical distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding gatherings. I encourage you to watch his presentation here.
On Tuesday, the committee discussed legislation that would put in law the current requirement to wear masks in indoor public settings until the Centers for Disease Control or Minnesota Department of Health no longer recommend them. We received this presentation from MDH highlighting the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of masks to prevent the spread of the virus. I asked the department to comment on different exposure risks in different settings and you can watch the exchange here.
Virtual Community Coffee Hour- February 20
I hope you’ll save the date of Saturday, February 20 for the next virtual community coffee hour. Senator Clausen and I will be teaming up to hear from community members and help answer any questions you might have. We’ll gather online using the platform Zoom.
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