REGIONAL- As a new and more contagious version of the Omicron COVID variant gains a foothold in the state, Minnesotans have new options for obtaining free at-home COVID test kits and, for those who qualify, an additional vaccine booster shot.
On Monday, Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a new online ordering system that Minnesotans can use to order rapid COVID-19 at-home tests. The tests come two to a kit, and a single household is eligible to receive two kits, four tests in total, through the program.
“Our goal has always been to ensure that when Minnesotans need a test, they can get one quickly and easily,” Walz said. “Even as case numbers decline, it’s important that Minnesotans test for COVID-19 if they are feeling sick. That’s why we’re continuing to work to make tests easily accessible – now and in the future.”
The state has obtained 500,000 test kits that will be available until all have been ordered.
And as one state-sponsored at-home testing option begins, another has shut down.
At its inception, the Vault Health at-home PCR COVID test was a true innovation in testing. A test kit ordered online was delivered by mail, an online consultant provided guidance for collecting the necessary saliva sample, and the tests were processed by Vault labs in either Minnesota or New Jersey, providing results within three to five days.
But when people became able to stop by their local community health center or a participating pharmacy to pick up an at-home rapid COVID test that gives results in 15 minutes, fewer and fewer people used the Vault system. Last week, Vault delivered around 1,400 tests to Minnesotans, compared to more than 16,600 tests per week in mid-January at the height of the record-breaking Omicron wave.
Tests from Vault Health are no longer available to order as of Thursday, but those with test kits still on hand will be able to use them through Dec. 31.
Those wishing to take advantage of the new test distribution system should go to https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/at-home/index.jsp for additional information and a link to the test kit order page.
Free at-home rapid COVID tests are also still available to order online from the federal government at CovidTests.gov.
Extra booster approved
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control both gave their blessings on Tuesday for an additional vaccine booster shot for people aged 50 and older who received either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Those ages 12 and older who have compromised immune systems also were authorized to receive another shot of either vaccine. The booster should be administered at least four months following the last shot a person received.
Medical experts are in agreement that boosters significantly decrease the risk of serious COVID illness and hospitalizations, but remain somewhat mixed as to the ages targeted for the additional shots. Boosters were originally proposed for those 65 and older, but further deliberations resulted in the current recommendation. However, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky emphasized the importance of boosters for older adults.
“This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19, as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time,” Walensky said.
Booster uptake has lagged initial vaccinations significantly across the country and in Minnesota. Only 45.8 percent of all eligible Minnesotans have received all of the vaccinations and boosters that have been recommended, 20 percent lower than the number who have completed their original vaccine series.
Only 3.6 percent of the vaccine doses administered in Minnesota were the one-shot Johnson & Johnson brand, but the CDC now recommends that those who received them strongly consider getting one or even two boosters of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The two mRNA vaccines have been demonstrated to provide greater immunity for J&J recipients than a second J&J dose.
Omicron BA.2
Experts have been saying all along that the Omicron wave in December and January wouldn’t be the last of COVID-19, since pandemics typically don’t end with one, gigantic final wave. Now, a new subvariant of Omicron looks like it might cause a new spike in cases.
That subvariant is called BA.2 and has been nicknamed “stealth Omicron.” BA.2 is called a subvariant because it does not have the level of significant genetic mutations that would warrant classifying it as a brand new COVID-19 variant, as Omicron was from Delta. It was first identified late last year and has spread quickly around the world. Early data suggest BA.2 spreads between people more easily than even Omicron, though it does not seem to cause more severe disease.
Data from Minnesota show BA.2’s rise in the state. While case counts remain comparatively low, the Minnesota Department of Health’s surveillance system shows that the share of cases caused by BA.2 nearly tripled in a week, from 10.4 percent the first week of March to 29.5 percent the week of March 6 to March 11.
While state health officials say a repeat of an Omicron-like wave is highly unlikely, it’s quite possible that the state will see BA.2 generate an uptick in cases in the coming weeks as it moves toward becoming the dominant form of the virus in the state. For example, the sharp decline in reported cases in St. Louis County has come to a halt for the time being. Instead, after hitting 19.1 on March 10, the seven-day case average for the county started trending slightly upward again, registering 22.6 on March 24.