by Rich Larson
Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and the federal Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint statement 
recommending booster shots for all those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Booster shots will be made available by the end of September, and accessible eight months after receiving a second dose.
The booster announcement was something that had been anticipated by Northfield Hospital + Clinics President and CEO Steve Underdahl. Speaking earlier this week, he said, based on data coming from Israel where the vast majority of the population has been vaccinated and was so much earlier than most Americans, the protection a vaccine could offer did slightly diminish, and it was his assumption that booster shots would be in order.
The boosters are being authorized in part because of the breakthrough infections – people contracting Covid-19 after they have been fully vaccinated – that have begun to emerge in isolated cases. Underdahl said, that while he is not a physician nor an epidemiologist, those breakthrough cases we are seeing, are hardly surprising.
“Even at a vaccine that is 95% effective, y’know, if you have 10,000 people, that’s 500 folks right there [who could get sick.] So that’s to be expect, where a number of people who have been vaccinated have ed. The really good news is that even in the places where there have been hot-spot outbreaks have gotten Covid, in general they are not getting very sick.”
Underdahl said the people who see the breakthrough cases as a reason to not be vaccinated are fundamentally missing the point. Despite the low percentage of breakthroughs, it is still very difficult to contract the virus after a person has been vaccinated. The more people who receive the vaccine, he said, the less opportunity the virus has to find what he called “safe harbor” to multiply and mutate. The vaccines provide a large degree of protection against serious illness and death for everyone, he said.
Northfield Hospital + Clinics has a plentiful supply of all three vaccines. Appointments are available at 507-646-8019, or by visiting northfieldhospital.org.
Depot re-assessed for Local Heritage Preservation designation
On Tuesday night, the City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance designating the Northfield Depot as a Local Heritage Preservation Site.
During the discussion Alice Thomas of Save the Depot gave a presentation about the work her organization has done to both move and restore the building to its original form. Five years ago, the future of the depot was in jeopardy and was scheduled to be demolished when her organization stepped in. Save the Depot rallied volunteers and raised the money necessary to move the building from its original location to the adjacent block. After that, Thomas said, with the use of the original blueprints, the building has been renovated back to what is largely its original form. The chimney has been rebuilt to original specifications as has the Station Master’s Bay. Doors and windows have been replaced to reflect the original style, and the interior walls and original maple floor have been restored.
Barbara Evens, the Chair of the Northfield Heritage and Preservation Commission gave an emotional thank you to all involved in preserving the depot and singled out Thomas as someone who had been integral in the project’s success. Mayor Rhonda Pownell echoed those sentiments.
“They’ve just done a phenomenal job of capturing all of their handiwork. So many people rallied around this effort and made it happen. [It was] volunteer driven by people with a strong heart for history and for our community.”
The Depot had received an historic designation in 1980, but when the building was moved, that designation had to be reassessed. In its current location it will now be the centerpiece of the planned Northfield transit hub.
Northfield Shares and Northfield Rotary bring EV event to Northfield
Northfield Shares and the Northfield Rotary Club have announced that they will collaborate on an event intended to introduce Northfielders to the ins and outs of owning, maintaining, and operating an electric vehicle.
Recharge Northfield will allow people to learn about electric vehicles and the benefits of owning one, not just to the planet, but to the individual as well. Along with Northfield Shares and Northfield Rotary, the event is sponsored by the City of Northfield and Recharge America, which is a nonprofit organization that seeks to bring awareness to electric vehicles.
Attendees to the event will have the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle, talk with owners of electric vehicles, and learn about charging options, and the environmental and economic benefits of owning an EV.
After two very successful events in Mankato, Recharge America approached Northfield Shares this summer about holding an event in Northfield. Coincidentally, the Northfield Rotary’s Climate Action Team, or RCAT, was beginning the process of putting a similar event together, so the two groups decided to collaborate.
Sarah Nathan, the executive director of Northfield Shares, said the resources of a national organization like Recharge America mean they will be able to have more people on hand with expertise in the area. The event will be a rare opportunity to get first-hand knowledge of how an EV works in any sort of condition.
“You can still test drive a car in the rain or the snow. We’ll have tents in case of inclement weather. But [rain or shine], we will be there. And this will be your opportunity to come, and test drive a vehicle, get to learn about what it’s like to drive one, what it’s like to care for one at your home. Really, the car is the classroom.”
Recharge Northfield is set for Saturday October 23 in the Greenvale Elementary School parking lot. The free event will run from 10am until 1pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
