Defense Department will help relieve 2 Minnesota hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz says the Department of Defense will send medical teams to two major Minnesota hospitals to relieve doctors and nurses who are swamped by a growing wave of COVID-19 patients.

The teams, each comprising 22 people, will arrive at Hennepin County Medical Center and St. Cloud Hospital next week and begin treating patients immediately.

Walz made the announcement from the Finnish capital of Helsinki. the latest stop on his European trade mission.

Minnesota has become one of the country’s worst hotspots for new COVID-19 infections. Hospital beds are filling up with unvaccinated people, and staffers are being worn down by the surge.

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