Coronavirus

Minnesota frontline worker payments of nearly $500 start go out this week

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Bonus payments for Minnesota frontline workers will start going out this week, with over 1 million people receiving nearly $500. Gov. Tim Walz on Monday announced that 1,025,655 Minnesota frontline workers will receive $487.45 to “recognize their work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” a news release said. State officials will begin sending out the payments…

Walz fights to give frontline bonus pay to Minnesotans working in other states

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – Governor Tim Walz said, if elected to a second term, he will fight to allow Minnesotans working in other states to get frontline worker bonus pay. Walz’s original plan gave $1 billion to those workers and $1 billion to workers and businesses in the hospitality industry. That was modified by the Legislature. Only workers living in…

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tests positive for COVID-19

EAGAN, Minn. (Fox 9) Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins tested positive for COVID-19 after previously missing practice Thursday. Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday that Kirk Cousins tested positive for the virus and will not be playing in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The quarterback will be in isolation for a minimum of five days. Cousins…

COVID vaccines may be ready for young children in ND this week

NORTH DAKOTA (KVRR) – Coronavirus vaccines for children six months to five-years-old have arrived in North Dakota. Department of Health officials say 50,000 North Dakotans in the age group can get the vaccine. Fifty-seven hundred doses will be shipped to 100 locations. Health officials don’t expect a high demand for shots for young kids. That would be similar to those…

Vitalant Testing Blood Donations for COVID-19 Antibodies

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Blood donors looking to see if they have necessary antibodies to fight off a new COVID-19 variant for immunocompromised patients are turning to Vitalant. The antibodies in convalescent plasma can give COVID-19 patients with weakened immune systems an extra boost to help fight the disease. It’s used to help patients in a critical state of need…

Gehrig asks for studies on mask effectiveness at City Commission meeting

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Fargo City Commissioner Tony Gehrig asks for a presentation on clinical studies showing masking stops the spread of COVID-19, especially in children at schools. North Dakota State University Professor of Public Health Dr. Paul Carson and Sanford Health Infectious Disease Physician Dr. Avish Nagpal shared research published in medical journals and by the CDC. One from…

Covid testing demand & positivity rates drop at Moorhead testing site

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – There’s fewer people getting tested for Covid-19 at the former Thomas Edison Elementary School in Moorhead. Thankfully, the amount of people testing positive is declining. The organization’s Public Health Administrator briefed the Dilworth City Council on everything coronavirus in the county. More than 105,000 coronavirus tests have been taken at the former Edison Elementary, but the…

Frontline workers and DFLers push for Legislature to pass pandemic bonuses

MINNESOTA (KVRR) – Minnesota frontline workers and Democrats call for immediate action in the legislature to deliver a $1 billion package giving them a pandemic bonus. The plan gives 667,000 health care, nursing home, maintenance, child care, and education workers $1,500 bonuses. To qualify, someone must have worked at least 120 hours between March 15th, 2020, and June 30th of…