School board won t guarantee a return to classrooms for this year. 5:24 am, Jan. 6, 2021 ×
Elementary students in Rochester will return to a hybrid-learning model starting Jan. 19.
But the Rochester School Board decision on Tuesday stopped short of guaranteeing those students would return to an in-person learning model later on, as its COVID-19 advisory committee recommended.
The decision followed three hours of discussion and was approved with a 5-2 vote, with board members Karen MacLaughlin and Julie Workman dissenting.
Workman emphasized the need for consistency. What happens if we go back to hybrid and then a week later everything hits the fan? Workman asked. I think part of the problem is it s a constant yo-yo. I would feel more comfortable with continuing with the distance learning model that we re on now.
Both Mayo Clinic Ambulance and Rochester Fire Department have already begun vaccinating their front-line heroes.
Posted: Dec 28, 2020 9:50 PM
Updated: Dec 29, 2020 6:38 AM
Posted By: Nick Kruszalnicki
ROCHESTER, Minn. - While hospital workers are at the front of the line for the COVID-19 vaccine, some first responders are also now able to receive the shot.
According to the Rochester Fire Department, their firefighters began getting the vaccine last week at Olmsted County Public Health. Vaccinations will continue next week as well.
As for the Mayo Clinic Ambulance service, they started getting their shots about two weeks ago.
Operations Manager Michael Juntunen says EMTs have been very eager to get vaccinated.
Vaccines arriving slower than hoped, Olmsted County health officials say
Vaccination of health care workers continues, but the supply of vaccine is limited, say Olmsted County Public Health officials. Written By: John Molseed | ×
Mayo Clinic s super six are readied for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, on Mayo Clinic s St. Marys Campus in Rochester. The super six consisted of Registered Nurse, Abigail Carter, a Medical ICU nurse; Registered Nurse, Meera Patel, a Medical ICU nurse; Adam Skow, a respiratory therapist; Registered Nurse, Madeline Weiman, a Medical ICU nurse; Dr. Sean Caples, a pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist; who all five treated a patient with the first suspected case of COVID-19, which turned out to be negative; and Dr. Casey Clements, an emergency medicine physician, who diagnosed the first case of COVID-19 in Rochester. (Joe Ahlquist / jahlquist@postbulletin.com)
COVID-19: New Cases in Olmsted County Lowest in Six Weeks
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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A weekly update issued by Olmsted County Public Health shows the number of new COVID-19 infections in the county last week was the lowest in six weeks.
586 new cases were reported last week, which was down from the 708 new cases reported the previous week. The highest weekly total of the pandemic was 843 during the first week of November. While the number of new infections is dropping, the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the Rochester area is now up to 46 with 16 of the deaths reported this month.
Olmsted County health director: Vaccine is the key for a return to normalcy
Health care workers in the region are starting to get vaccinated, but it may be a while for the general public. 6:50 pm, Dec. 16, 2020 ×
Tom Graham, Olmsted Medical Center Director of Plant Operations, left, and Tim Weir, Olmsted Medical Center Chief Executive Officer unload the first frozen shipment of COVID-19 vaccine at the OMC pharmacy Monday morning, December 14, 2020. (Contributed photo, Olmsted Medical Center)
Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center and Olmsted County Public Health are preparing to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers next week.
However, health officials on Wednesday said it’s too early to know when they ll be available to the general public.