Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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There are No. 1 rankings that inspire celebration. And then there are those that elicit a more mixed "Really, we're No. 1?" response.
Minnesota's current top honors in a state-by-state comparison of a key COVID-19 metric — how many seniors 65 and older have had a second booster shot — regrettably falls into the latter category.
While leading the nation reflects well on the state, a closer look at the numbers underscores how much work there is yet to do here and elsewhere to protect high-risk seniors from a still unvanquished virus.
The booster data comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's vaccine tracker. As of Wednesday, 49.2% of Minnesotans 65 and up had followed up with a second booster after getting their first booster dose. That topped 49 other states, with Maine claiming second-best at 48.5% and Washington at 48.4%
Minnesota also easily bested its regional neighbors. Wisconsin and Iowa posted 43.9% and 40.1%, respectively, which compares favorably nationally. South Dakota lags with 33.7%, while North Dakota recorded an embarrassing 21%.
But again, it's concerning that Minnesota's just-shy-of-halfway mark is best in the nation. Too many seniors don't have all the shots that they're eligible for as highly transmissible variants continue to circulate. Just 23.6% of Americans 65 and up have had the second booster, according to the CDC.