All Minnesota is saying is "Give Kids A Shot".  Actually, Governor Tim Walz announced Monday that they're not actually going to give kids a shot, they're gonna pay them $200 to do it!

Announced on Monday, the state will pay $200 for every kid aged 12-17 that signs up for a vaccine series.

Of course, the state is Minnesota.

You were thinking South Dakota?  Can you even imagine something like that introduced in South Dakota? South Dakota is pretty noisy in its anti-vax stance.  Here in North Dakota, and especially Bismarck/Mandan, we're quieter on our refusals.  Some studies may suggest we're worse off because of it.

On the way to this story, I came across some sobering stats for Burleigh and Morton Counties.

Digest this as you want,

The Bismarck, ND, metro area consists of Burleigh County, Morton County, and Oliver County. In the past week, there were an average of 130.4 new coronavirus cases every day per 100,000 Bismarck residents, greater than the national figure. The metro area’s average daily case growth in the most recent week is an increase from the week prior, when there was an average of 106.6 daily new cases per 100,000 Bismarck residents.

Here's more Wall Street 24/7 data via Newsbreak.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Bismarck metropolitan area has reported 27,908 confirmed cases, or 21,888.1 per 100,000 residents -- the most of any city in North Dakota.

Grand Forks, the city with the second most cases per capita, has reported 16,855.9 cases per 100,000 residents.

I remember in the beginning onset of the pandemic, Minot was the hotspot. I had to go up there at that time and visit a hospital.  When I came back there wasn't a single person that didn't make a point of me having "been in Minot" so maybe I should go back to my office and sanitize while they sanitized everything I touched.

True story.

OK, Bismarck/Mandan, seems we're trending rather severe here...but would North Dakota ever be ready for a proposal like this?

Minnesota will offer $200 gift cards and a shot at five $100,000 scholarships as incentives for students ages 12-17 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday.

So Minnesota is using some of its federal COVID cash (Biden Bucks), to actually combat COVID.  Odd. North Dakota's Legislature has a special session coming up starting on November 8th to redistrict the state and figure out how to spend $1 billion dollars in Biden Bucks. I've heard there are $9 billion dollars in suggestions. I've not heard of any suggestion in paying kids 12-17 years old to get vaccinated.

Man, if I was a 13-year-old kid...I'd have jumped at that 200 bucks!

Nothing wrong with at least reading the AP story right?

Walz authorized $12.2 million in federal COVID-19 relief money for the incentive program.

An earlier incentive program that offered adults $100 Visa gift cards drew nearly 80,000 takers, including more than 3,000 who got their shots at the Minnesota State Fair.

Meanwhile, Minnesota colleges are reporting fewer COVID-19 cases on their campuses this semester than they did last fall, suggesting that high vaccination rates in their communities are helping stave off outbreaks, the Star Tribune reported.

Just think if you would have thought that Montana was the neighboring state that offers cash for shots.  Well, maybe it's something for them to consider.

So, Livingston has closed their middle and high school until the 25th of October due to high numbers of COVID-19 throughout the school system and families.

Is it still hysteria?  Or should we be putting the pedal down on vaccinating kids?


Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

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