At Issue: Nov. 21 — Booster shots roll out in Minnesota; Malcolm responds to GOP pushback

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming and the COVID-19 positive case rate in the state climbing, Minnesota’s top health official says the Walz administration was willing to go ahead in distributing booster shots without FDA approval. Once the federal government gave the go-ahead, Gov. Tim Walz wasn’t far behind in letting all adult Minnesotans know they could also get their boosters.

“We’re grateful that this is happening before the holidays,” Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “It’s just a great time for people to get either their primary vaccinations, including our youngest, or for those of us who have been vaccinated for a while to get our boosters.”

Malcolm is also caught in between advising Walz on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and a Republican-controlled Senate that could remove her from her job during a special session. This week on “At Issue,” Malcolm responded to the political speculation, saying, “We’re quite busy just doing the best we can trying to get Minnesotans the information and tools they need and trust that the political issues will work themselves out.”

Meanwhile, our political analysts lay out what the U.S. House’s passage of the Build Back Better bill could mean for Democrats in swing districts during the 2022 election. The $1.7 trillion package passed the chamber on Friday and will head to the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate.