THIS PAST WEEK MINNESOTA
COVID CASES ROSE.
THE NUMBER OF CASES IS UP BY
17%.
THE PERCENTAGE OF VACCINES IS UP
TOO.
I SPOKE WITH THE ASSISTANT
COMMISSIONER THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH.
JOINING US NOW IS IT DAN HUFF.
THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME.
I HAVE TO ASK YOU.
OBVIOUSLY THE GOVERNOR HAS
ANNOUNCED A ROLLBACK OF THESE
THIS COMES AT A TIME WHEN OUR
CASES IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO-
WEEK TOTAL IS UP BY 17%.
AND THE NUMBER OF DEATHS ARE UP
BY 23%.
DOES THAT CONCERN YOU?
WE ARE NEAR THE FINISH LINE
AND WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD
DEATHS THAN NEIGHBORING STATES
ESPECIALLY TO THE WEST.
ARE VACCINE ROLLOUT IS PICKING
UP TREMENDOUSLY. AND WE THINK
WE HAVE THE VIRUS ON THE RUN.
THE NUMBERS THAT YOU JUST
MENTIONED WE NEED TO REMAIN
VIGILANT.
IT IS NOT DONE WITH US YET.
AND THAT IS WHY ME TO KEEP
MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING
AND BE CAREFUL WHILE THE
VACCINE ROLLS OUT AND REALLY
DRIVE THIS OUT.
ACCORDING TO ONE ANALYSIS
THAT I SAW BY THE NEW YORK
TIMES.
WE ARE THE 11th BEST STATE IN
TERMS OF DELIVERING THE VACCINE
WHICH IS GREAT NEWS.
HOWEVER I KNOW PEOPLE INCLUDING
MYSELF WHO ARE JUST UNDER THAT
65 AGE GROUP THAT ARE LOOKING
AROUND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHEN WILL WE GET THE VACCINE?
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF MY
UNDERLYING CONDITION QUALIFIES.
HELP US OUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY
WONDERING?
VACCINE.
I AM THERE WITH YOU.
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS TO
GO TO THE VACCINE CONNECTOR.
AND YOU CLICK THROUGH THAT AND
AS SOON AS YOU ARE ELIGIBLE YOU
WILL BE CONTACT.
HAVE YOU STARTED CONTACTING
PEOPLE THROUGH THE VACCINE
CONNECTOR?
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S PEOPLE KNOW TO SHOW UP
AT THE COMMUNITY VACCINATION
SITES.
I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS
RECOVERING FROM COGENT COVID.
HE IS HAVING A HARD TIME.
HE'S NOT 100%, HE IS SUFFERING
FROM AFTEREFFECTS.
THE SEEMS TO BE THE CASE FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
RECOVERING.
SHOULD THOSE PEOPLE GET THE
VACCINE?
AND HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU FOR
THESE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COVID
I'M SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR
FRIEND.
AND I HOPE THAT HE HAS A SPEEDY
RECOVERY.
IT'S ONE OF THE TRICKY THINGS
ABOUT COVID.
IT IS A NASTY VIRUS.
IT HAS DEFIED OUR UNDERSTANDING
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LONG-
TERM EFFECTS.
YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD THE TERM
LONG HAULERS.
WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LONG-
TERM ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE DOWN
THE ROAD AS WELL AS LUNG
ISSUES.
WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT.
AND YOUR FRIEND SHOULD STILL
GET THE VACCINE.
EVERYONE SHOULD GET THE VACCINE
WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE TO
THEM.
THIS IS A VERY TOUGH GUY WHO
IS IN GREAT SHAPE IN HIS EARLY
VERY HEALTHY.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE
POP-UP EVEN WITH PEOPLE WHO
WERE OKAY AT FIRST AND THEN A
COUPLE MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD
THEY ARE STILL HAVING SYMPTOMS?
IT DOES SEEM PRETTY RANDOM.
SOME PEOPLE GET IT AND SEEM TO
RECOVER JUST FINE.
OTHERS REALLY STRUGGLE.
EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS
FOR YOUR THERE'S A LOT WE DO
NOT KNOW.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THE
EFFECTS LAST.
CERMACK IN TERMS OF THE
DISTRIBUTION OF THE VACCINE WE
SEEM TO BE GOING WELL ACCORDING
TO A SURVEY THAT I SAW.
SO WE'RE GOING TO UP THE AMOUNT
OF VACCINES WE ARE GETTING
WHICH SHOULD IMPROVE THINGS
EVEN MORE?
WILL HAVE 2 MILLION DOSES
IN OUR ALLOCATION.
24% OF MINNESOTA RESIDENTS
HAVE GOTTEN THE VACCINE.
THAT IS HOPEFUL.
AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF US ARE
EAGERLY AWAITING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME
AND FOR THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT
THANK YOU AND BE WELL.