Vice President Mike Pence will return to Minnesota next week to highlight the Mayo Clinic's coronavirus research and testing efforts.
News of the April 28 trip came hours after Gov. Tim Walz announced a "moon shot" plan to partner with Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota to ramp up virus testing in the state. Mayo's national reference laboratory has already conducted 120,000 molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19 nationwide.
Pence cited Minnesota's "breakthrough" at a White House briefing on Thursday as an example of state-level progress on testing. The vice president said the efforts will be discussed during a Friday conference call with all the nation's governors.
The Mayo trip will be the vice president's second visit to Minnesota related to the coronavirus crisis. Pence, who leads the White House CoronaÂvirus Task Force, traveled to 3M World Headquarters in early March. The Maplewood company manufactures protective masks used by health care workers.
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