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Former Biden advisor joins effort to vaccinate Minnesota kids ahead of school year

Updated  August 3, 2021 10:23pm CDT
Minnesota
FOX 9

(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Health is tapping a former Biden adviser to help make the push for vaccinating kids ahead of the start of the school year.

Andy Slavitt served as a Senior Adviser to President Biden’s Pandemic Response Team, and before that, he was the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Obama.

Former Biden advisor Andy Slavitt helps Minnesota effort to vaccinate students ahead of school year

Former Biden COVID-19 Response Advisor Andy Slavitt, a Minnesota native, is helping the state's effort to vaccinate students ahead of the school year.

Slavitt says his 19-year-old son contracted COVID-19 this winter and still lives with long haul symptoms, including shortness of breath and brain fog.

He says the vaccine technology is solid, and parents should not hesitate to get their kids vaccinated.

In Minnesota, there have been 84 hospitalizations among pre-K to 12th grade children since August of last year, and one death.

Meanwhile, some employers and colleges - including the University of St. Thomas - are requiring students and staff to get vaccinated before the fall. Additionally, the University of Minnesota reinstated its indoor mask mandate earlier this week.

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Major Minnesota employers and education institutions are imposing mask mandates and vaccine requirements for workers to slow a COVID-19 surge across the country.