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Experts and tribal leaders aren’t sure why, but living near communities with low vaccination rates may be contributing.

Mahnomen County's vaccination rate is one of the best in the state. Written By: Dan Gunderson / MPR News | 12:00 pm, Feb. 20, 2021 × White Earth Tribal Chair Michael Fairbanks is given a coronavirus vaccine by Sarah Snetsinger, a registered nurse with the White Earth Home Health Department. (Courtesy Anishinaabeg Today) MOORHEAD, Minn. — Ever since Minnesota began distributing coronavirus vaccines to the public, Mahnomen County in northwestern Minnesota has consistently run ahead of the pack, vaccinating at rates that far surpass most of its peers. As of this week, a full 85% of ...

Early in the pandemic, there was a lot of fear that if the coronavirus got a foothold in tribal communities in Minnesota, it could take a devastating toll.  And they had another advantage — geography. Most reservations in Minnesota are far removed from some of the early hot spots in the Twin Cities and elsewhere.  But now, cases are surging in rural areas across the region — and that's having an impact on tribal communities, too. In Minnesota, the number of new COVID-19 cases among Native Americans has grown by about 75 percent in the past month.  After seeing cases dip to only a handf...