COVID testing for those vaccinated presents unique scenario for North Shore Health

Cook County continues to have the highest vaccination rate for COVID-19 in Minnesota based on the percentage of local residents who have received the vaccine.
 
As of Feb. 25, a total of 2,183 Cook County residents, which equates to more than 40 percent of the population, have received the first dose of the vaccine. Among those, 1,005 people have received the second dose as well and are fully vaccinated.  An estimated 400 people were scheduled to receive the second dose of the vaccine in a series of events the week of Feb. 22-26 and some of those are included in the most recent update. 
 
Cook County also continues to have the lowest total case count for COVID-19 and there were no additional cases reported this week.
 
In related healthcare news, there are now more than 120 employees at North Shore Health who have been vaccinated, including at least 115 who are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the positivity rate for testing in Cook County remains below 5 percent, which means staff at the local hospital and healthcare facility are being tested monthly, as opposed to other times in the pandemic when it was weekly, for example. Testing for COVID-19 among those who've been vaccinated is a scenario that has received little attention during the rollout of the vaccine in 2021.
 
WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with North Shore Health Hospital Administrator Kimber Wraalstad about this specific topic and other local COVID-19 news and information. Listen to the audio below to hear their full conversation from Feb. 26.