COVID-19 Updates with Leah Lemm and Dr. Antony Stately

MDH is offering free at-home rapid COVID tests. The program – Say Yes! To Covid Test is online at sayyeshometest.org. Every household can place a new order every month until the program ends.

Your health insurance needs to be renewed periodically.  Avoid losing your Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare by being prepared for your renewal.  1 in 4 Minnesotans will need to renew their healthcare coverage soon.  Learn what it means for you or someone you know. To learn more, go to the Minnesota Department of Human Services website.

The CDC is recommending adults with underlying conditions, those over 60 and toddlers to receive the recently approved RSV vaccine. RSV is a respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but it can be serious, especially for infants and older adults.

An updated COVID vaccine has become available as of a couple of weeks ago. The vaccine is recommended for individuals 5-years and older. There are also options for children between 6-months to 5-years old.

Minnesota residents who have symptoms of COVID-19 and have tested positive or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 are eligible to receive treatment at no-cost. The Minnesota Department of Health in partnership with Cue Health run the Test to Treat program, which provides access to care and COVID19 medication. Health insurance is not required to receive treatment. To receive your treatment call 1-844-609-2415 to speak with a healthcare provider.

More from Native Lights

• 
  Alex Kmett: Culture as Curriculum, Language as Medium
  Today, we’re speaking with language revitalization leader and cultural educator Alex Kmett. Alex is a citizen of the Red Lake Nation and a descendant of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. He’s a 2026 Bush Fellow and a co-founder of a charter school in Red Lake Nation.
• 
  Ryan Dixon: Making Friends with the Dakota Language
  Today, we’re speaking with Ryan Dixon. Ryan is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe from Pine Ridge in South Dakota and has spent over two decades immersed in the Lower Sioux community in southern Minnesota. He trained under First Language Dakota speakers, and he now teaches Dakota. An educator and Indigenous language activist, he co-founded a Dakota Immersion Head Start programming and works to keep the language alive for future generations.
• 
  Michael Kurtz: Tales of a Wildlife Photographer
  Our guest today is a photographer who takes some stunning photos of wildlife. We’re very excited to speak with Michael Kurtz (Tasunka Opi). He’s Sicangu Lakota, enrolled in the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He runs Lakota Photography, blending wildlife photography, tracking, and cultural education. He’s also a naturalist and has volunteered with groups like the National Park Service and Project Coyote. He has spent countless hours across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and beyond, capturing wildlife in its natural habitat. Currently, he’s supervisor of programming and interpretation with Hoċokata Ṫi Cultural Center at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community.

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• Day of Remembrance Honoring Boarding School Survivors, and Bowwow Powwow on Stage
  This week, the community gathers to honor boarding school survivors and a popular children’s book debuts as a play.
• MNN Extended Interview: Bryan Bosto
  This week, we revisit producer Emma Needham’s interview with Bryan Bosto, who was recently inducted into the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame for the work he has done in growing the game in Native communities.