One Year Since 1st COVID case was Confirmed in MN

Good Afternoon –

Please see the results from this week below. You will be notified if any tests return positive.

  • RenVilla – 0 residents and 0 staff tested positive. Conducting surveillance testing only due to no new positives in over 7 weeks.
  • Meadows on Main – 0 tenants and 0 staff tested positive. Conducting surveillance testing only due to no new positives in over 11 weeks.
  • Prairie View – 0 tenants and 0 staff tested positive. Conducting surveillance testing only due to no new positives in over 9 weeks.

We are currently testing Renvilla Employees/Essential Caregivers weekly, and we are testing MOM/PV Employees/Essential Caregivers monthly. Prescheduled indoor visits are occurring in all buildings. See below for more information. Also, with the beautiful weather we are having, we are encouraging family and friends to come and have window visits (though it is still too chilly for patio visits). These to not need to be prescheduled, but we do ask that people do not drive on the grass as it will leave ruts.

To schedule an indoor visit, please contact:

We continue to follow recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As of today, the MDH is not recommending any changes to our visitation process.

This Saturday, March 6th, marks one year since Minnesota confirmed its first case of COVID-19. The state has since recorded 485,230 total confirmed or probable cases. Now, more than 52% of Minnesotans 65 and older have received at least one dose of either COVID vaccine. This week, Governor Tim Walz stated Minnesota will expand vaccination eligibility when 70% of that population gets their first dose. Vaccine eligibility would expand to people with high-risk health conditions and targeted essential workers. Younger groups and the general public would follow in the late spring and summer.

Johnson & Johnson has now received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine, the Janssen Ad-Vac. The J&J vaccine is different than its Moderna and Pfizer 2-dose vaccine counterparts in two ways. First, the J&J vaccine is a one-shot vaccine, not a two-dose vaccine. Second, the J&J vaccine uses a more common vaccine technology and does not utilize the mRNA vaccine delivery method. The vaccine is published as 85% effective 28 days post vaccination. Side effects listed for this vaccine are similar to those listed for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

We continue to work with Cami Peterson-DeVries, AGNP on our infection control practices, policies, and emergency management. If you have any questions on this, she can be reached at CPeterson-DeVries@sfhs.org or 320.287.0313.

Thank you,

Casie Knoshal

  Administrator

  Renville Health Services

   Phone: (320) 329-4373

   Fax: (320) 329-3678