A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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The availability of hospital beds is also an issue locally, particularly for transfers to larger hospitals, said Community Memorial Hospital CEO Rick Breuer. “It’s hard to find open beds in Duluth for anything,” he said. Beds at CMH have been full too, but not necessarily with Covid patients, he said. “People are assuming it’s all covid and that was the case last winter,” Breuer said. “Now we’re seeing a lot of people needing healthcare, maybe because they delayed it because of the pandemic or because flu season is starting, the whole rash... Full story
Minnesota’s current Covid-19 surge won’t relent. The newest data show the disease still firmly entrenched in the state. While a jump in testing can explain much of the latest increase in case counts, the numbers also show the current wave stubbornly refusing to crest. “These are numbers we had hoped we would not see again,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Sept. 24 after the state reported nearly 3,000 more cases. Within the next few days, the state expects to top 700,000 total known cases in the pandemic, she added. After i... Full story
Following the CDC’s move last week to authorize booster shots for certain populations local hospitals including Essentia Healthcare, St. Luke’s and Community Memorial are providing the booster shots. Appointments will need to be scheduled. CMH CEO Rick Breuer said the Cloquet hospital held its first booster clinic last week for those with compromised immune systems. The CDC has recommended the following groups should get a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their s... Full story
The latest data for Carlton County show the number of Covid cases is still going up, but at a lower rate, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases in Carlton County increased by 84 from Sept. 15 to 22, but the CDC showed a decline in the rise of case numbers of nearly 7.6 percent on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The CDC also reported Carlton County’s rate of tests coming back positive at 4.4 percent (compared to an average of 6 percent statewide), one new hospital admission and zero deaths from Covid over the past seve... Full story
Youth from across the state joined a virtual town hall with medical professionals to engage with peers about Covid-19 Monday afternoon. The town hall was led by student leaders to give students an opportunity to discuss how the pandemic has impacted their school experience, how they can have a safe and meaningful school year and what actions youth can take to curb the spread. This town hall is part of the Minnesota Department of Health’s larger Community Conversation effort. The event was recorded and is available for viewing at: h... Full story
The furor over masks continued at the Cloquet school board meeting this week, with five of seven audience members addressing the board about the district's universal mask mandate for all grade levels. Again, Cloquet parents opposed to masking told board members - with varying degrees of hostility - that their decisions were not based in fact, and that masking children has no direct correlation to the spread of the coronavirus and they should stop. Meanwhile, up the road in Esko - where masks... Full story
The drug REGEN- COV, a monoclonal antibody therapy used in treatment of Covid- 19 infection and post- exposure preventive treatment, is available at Community Memorial Hospital. The drug is indicated for use in adult patients or pediatric patients 12 and older who meet the following criteria: They have confirmed Covid- 19 infection with mild to moderate severity of symptoms and are at high risk for progressing to severe disease, hospitalization or death. They can also have had significant exposure to an individual infected with Covid- 19. These... Full story
The state of Minnesota is adding more Covid- 19 testing sites to meet a resurgent demand. Early in the summer the state had closed some of its community testing sites as fewer people were seeking tests. But rising case counts driven by the more- contagious delta variant in recent weeks are bringing more demand for testing. The state opened a semi- permanent testing site at the Minneapolis Convention Center last week and will open another at the former YMCA in Lino Lakes on Monday. They join existing community testing sites in Bloomington,... Full story
With Covid-19 infections ramping up but no state of emergency in Minnesota or nationally, decisions on how to keep kids safe at school this fall have been left up to local school boards. It hasn’t been easy. Masks have become controversial, with some residents asking boards to simply recommend rather than require them, while others say they won’t send their unvaccinated children to school if they aren’t required. It’s also a different time in the pandemic, because people can be vaccinated, which was not the case last fall. According to its mos... Full story
With Covid-19 cases still rising, Carlton County Public Health and others are bringing the vaccinations to the people. On Wednesday night, there were clinics at school open house events in Wrenshall and Barnum. They’re working on a clinic in Blackhoof for Sept. 11, and still advising other residents to seek out vaccines at local hospitals, health care clinics and pharmacies. Some 70.4 percent of county residents ages 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, with the number of vaccinations in August almost double what it was in J... Full story
After deliberating at three meetings over the past two weeks, Cloquet school board members voted Monday to require universal masking indoors for grades K-12 once school starts on Sept. 8. The mandate doesn't apply to outdoor activities, including recess, sports or other classroom or school events. Masks are already federally required on all public transportation, including school buses. The vote and the conversation showed some shift from the board's committee of the whole meeting Friday, when t... Full story
Pine Knot News Over the past 20 days, the number of Covid-19 cases in Carlton County has increased by 141, while the number of deaths due to Covid went up by one. The Cloquet zip code showed the largest increase in number of cases in the Aug. 19 report, with 22 new cases versus seven (in Moose Lake) or fewer in other parts of the county. Over that same period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid Data Tracker, Carlton County went from “moderate” Covid transmission to “substantial” to “high” for the period Aug. 1... Full story
I don’t know about you, but this week’s news about our county’s rise in cases really hit me hard. I have been “Covid careful” for at least 16 months. I have been cautiously optimistic that “Minnesota Nice” would make us all realize our personal role in each other’s safety and that science would lick this pandemic quickly, so we could get on with life. But alas, the news is not good. It is a big world, full of diverse opinions, disparities and inequalities, all impacting the outcome of this crisis. And so, as I have done often in my life, I t... Full story
Brian Bakst MPR News Demand is high in Minnesota for $100 vaccine incentives, prompting the state to set aside even more money for the program. As of early Tuesday, more than 30,000 people had already applied for the bonus for getting an initial COVID-19 shot between the end of July and the middle of this month. That exhausted the $2.5 million that Gov. Tim Walz had put toward the incentive. As a result, the Walz administration moved another $13.8 million into the account. It relies on federal American Rescue Plan money. A legislative panel... 
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What health and safety guidelines should schools be following? Minnesota schools are no longer under a mandate to require masking in their buildings. That’s because Gov. Tim Walz’s authority to issue this mandate expired now that Minnesota is no longer under a state of emergency. Instead, health officials recommend schools require masks in their buildings, regardless of an individual’s vaccination status. Experts also recommend maintaining 3 feet of distance in buildings, staying home if sick and getting the Covid-19 vaccine if eligible. Schoo... Website
After a summer of no mandates — only recommendations — and declining numbers of Covid-19 infections as more and more people were vaccinated, rising cases of the virus have officials worried about another wave of infections. The next wave in the Northland won’t be the same as last year, because more than 70 percent of adults are vaccinated here. Nationally this wave of Covid infections — many of them the more transmissible Delta variant — is affecting mostly the unvaccinated. But the unvaccinated are not only those who choose not to get a sho... Full story
Covid-19 cases are on the rise again in Minnesota and across the country, but with most restrictions lifted and Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers gone, the response to this latest spike is in the hands of local leaders and businesses. The number of Covid-19 cases reported Tuesday was up 61 percent over the previous Tuesday’s report from the state. Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said that’s largely because of the highly transmissible delta variants rapid spread through unvaccinated Minnesotans. “We’re concerned that we’re going to see... Website
Editor's note: The level of Covid transmission jumped to "substantial" in Carlton County after this story was published. On Saturday it was at a rate of 80.85 per 100,000 people according to the CDC Covid tracker. Get an update in next week's Pine Knot News. As a public health nurse, whether it's required or not, Jenny Barta says it's never a bad idea to put on a mask. While Carlton County had not reinstated any masking requirements before the Pine Knot News went to press, St. Louis County is... Full story
While Minnesota’s current upswing in Covid-19 is relatively mild compared to earlier surges, state officials are warning that the pandemic is not over yet and that those who are not vaccinated are especially vulnerable to a rapidly growing variant of the disease. Briefing reporters for the first time in nearly two months, state public health leaders didn’t unveil any new policy changes Monday, but they placed a heavy emphasis on the need to boost vaccinations to head off the highly contagious Delta strain, which they said is now driving 75 per... Website
From Friday to Monday, July 26, Carlton County saw one newly reported probable Covid case, bringing the total cumulative cases to 3,569 as of Tuesday’s report. According to the most recent report from the Minnesota Department of Health, issued July 22, Carlton County had 3,568 total confirmed Covid cases since the start of the pandemic and 58 deaths. July 15-22, the county saw a total of 12 new cases, from 3,556 to 3,568, and one new death, bringing the total number of deaths from Covid to 58. The Carlton County Covid-19 hub reported Covid c... Full story
Carlton County will hold its next vaccination clinic at the Carlton County Community Services Building in downtown Cloquet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 13. Those age 18 or older can pre-register or just walk in for a free Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccine. In Carlton County, Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began stood at 3,544 as of Tuesday, July 6, an increase of 14 since June 22. The total number of Covid-related deaths increased by one, to 57, over the same period of time. There are currently no schools in Carlton County on the... Full story
As the largest community gathering in at least 18 months approaches - the July Fourth holiday - public health nurse Jenny Barta pointed out the pandemic isn't over. "Just because the mask mandate is no longer in effect doesn't mean that Covid went away," said Barta, the Carlton County disease prevention and control coordinator and a frontline worker in the pandemic. "It's still circulating in our communities, but not at the rate that it was in the winter and the early spring months." Because of... Full story
Minnesota’s pandemic picture continues to improve rapidly in the early days of June. Wednesday’s data shows new and active Covid-19 caseloads falling to levels not seen since April of last year. Only 128 new cases were added, with no new deaths. (Late last month, a person in their 80s from Carlton County died from Covid-19 complications.) The only anxious trend right now: the vaccination pace continues to slide. But the overall disease trends remain solid enough that Minneapolis and St. Paul have dropped their masking requirements, joining othe... Website
For more than a year, Minnesota has been operating under some level of restrictions, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But soon, most of those restrictions will be lifted. Gov. Tim Walz last week unveiled a three-step process to remove most Covid-19 pandemic restrictions by May 28, and end the statewide mask mandate by July 1 — sooner, if 70 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older receive at least their first vaccine dose. The first step went into effect May 7, when crowd-size and capacity limits on outdoor dining, events and get-togethers were r... Full story
Active cases and hospitalizations are ebbing in Minnesota, but the vaccination pace remains at a relative crawl even as state public health leaders plead with unvaccinated adults to get their shots. More than 60 percent of state residents 16 and older have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. But with the pace only inching forward now, it’ll take longer to reach 70 percent — the threshold Gov. Tim Walz linked to ending the statewide mask mandate. A few weeks ago, the state was on pace to hit the 70-percent mark in mid-May; now it’s push... Full story
