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A vaccine for Christmas?

Gov. Tim Walz is cautiously optimistic that the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine could be coming around Christmas time. The state is expected to receive — if information from the federal government remains firm — some 46,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week, and 136,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine two weeks after that. That’s 183,000 doses.

Obviously, that’s hardly enough to immunize 5 million or so Minnesotans, but the state can start immunizing the health care workers and long-term care residents who are at the top of the federal guidelines for administering the vaccine.

It will be months yet before enough vaccine can be produced and distributed to protect the majority of the population, enough to allow a relaxation of our COVID-19 protective measures. But the fact that vaccines are starting to be used gives us all hope for a COVID-free future.

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