The State of Minnesota is offering the Pfizer vaccine at its Mall of America community vaccination site, where appointments are now open. It plans to host more vaccination clinics across Minnesota in the upcoming weeks. Plus multidisciplinary artist Sequoia Hauck reflects on their pandemic experiences. Feven Gerezgiher reports

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This is the Minnesota Native News Health Report. I’m Marie Rock.

COVID-19 vaccines are now available for infants and young children. This week, learn where to find appointments…and hear from a Twin Cities based artist on staying safe during a pandemic.

Feven Gerezgiher reports.

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STORY A

Last weekend, federal health officials approved COVID-19 vaccines for children between 6 months and 5 years.

These vaccines are smaller doses than ones for adults, [and require two or three shots spread out over weeks depending on whether it's a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.]

The State of Minnesota is offering the Pfizer vaccine at its Mall of America community vaccination site, where appointments are now open. It plans to host more vaccination clinics across Minnesota in upcoming weeks.

Vaccines for children under 5 will also be available at pediatricians, local clinics, and pharmacies.

To learn how to get a free COVID shot, the Minnesota Department of Health recommends contacting your primary health care provider or a local pharmacy. The state’s online vaccine locator will also be updated as vaccine shipments arrive in Minnesota.

Find links to more information on appointments - and on the vaccines’ safety - on our website minnesota native news dot org slash health

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STORY B

The last two years of the pandemic have brought plenty of devastation…including the loss of in-person connections….disruption to many school programs….and the loss of first speakers.

As the state of the COVID pandemic evolves…we want to give space on the health report for reflection in order to move forward in a good way..

Boozhoo, aaniin nindinawemaaganidog. Sequoia Hauck nindizhinikaaz. Waabaabiganikaag nindoonjibaa. Ajiaak nindodem. Ashkibagi-ziibiing nindaa. Hello, my name is Sequoia Hauck. I use they/them pronouns.

Sequoia is an interdisciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities. They described the stress they felt performing in-person during a surge of infection rates.

I remember thinking I was 100% gonna get COVID during that time. I tested like four to five times a week, like going to a place to get a PCR and that's like my anxiety. Like that was like, I need to get a PCR every single day basically for my nervous system to feel okay. Which I think is probably one spectrum of being that I can see is not super healthy tendencies, but also like it felt good to do it for myself. 

What staying safe looks like has been a learning process for Sequoia. They keep up with the latest recommendations from health officials, and for each project, a big part has been coming up with safety protocols with collaborators.

I am someone who is on the still like super cautious safety side of things even to this day. And so making sure that everyone can be safe and everyone's testing and everyone's social distancing still in the ways that we can, and physically distancing, and also how we can still be creative and find joy and excitement in our art forms and our making and still create work and pay people and pay myself and all of these things, so we can still live the lives that we want to live and be safe.

Sequoia has been learning to find rest, moreso as they grow in their pandemic born creative endeavors. To them, this pandemic is something that’s here to stay.

I think you know, I'm excited for the future of boosters. I'm ready for my whatever, second booster third, a millionth. I'm here for that. And so, you know, I think wearing masks are really important. And I think access to masking and like access to having a mask and testing is so hard right now I think accessibility to get tested, especially PCR testing is almost ridiculous. And so I wish that was more accessible for folks. Because I feel like that's how we're going to know if we're contagious or have it and how to like manage it for ourselves. So still a lot of like up in the air, but I'm feeling okay, and just want to like be able to support me and the people around me and like the community I exist in.

Sequoia has several upcoming film projects. Follow their work on their website sequoia hauck dot com.

For the Minnesota Native News Health Report, I’m Feven Gerezgiher.

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