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Across the country, since the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered last December, an additional 500,000 Americans have died of the virus.

Over 200 million Americans, or 61% of the population, are now fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The ongoing call for more people to get vaccinated and to get booster shots comes as the omicron variant continues to spread across the U.S. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Tuesday that omicron will \"for sure\" become the dominant strain in the U.S. given how rapidly it is spreading.

And in addition to the strain the pandemic is putting on the health care system, it is also putting pressure on health care workers who have worked nonstop for almost two years.

In the U.S., the health care sector has lost nearly half a million workers since February 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Koranne described health care workers in Minnesota as having run a \"relentless ultramarathon.\"

\"There were thousands of open health care jobs before the pandemic, and this situation has escalated into a true workforce crisis due to resignations, retirements, burnout and challenges with temporary staffing services,\" he said. \"Our health care heroes are exhausted, heartbroken and overwhelmed after running this relentless ultramarathon for 22 months each day, evening and night. We need everyone to do their part to address this ongoing pandemic as it adds even more stress to our already exhausted system.”

A spokesperson for the Mayo Clinic, one of the nine health care systems represented in the ad, said it wants to protect its patients as well as its \"heroic workers.\"

\"Mayo Clinic is working to ensure the safety of its heroic workers and supports COVID-19 vaccinations and safe behaviors because protecting patients and staff is the right thing to do,\" the spokesperson said.

\"PHOTO:
The Washington Post via Getty Images
PHOTO: A team of nurses and physicians transfers a patient with COVID-19 into ICU room from the emergency room at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minn., Nov. 23, 2021.
>

Dr. Marc Gorelick, President and CEO of Children's Minnesota, noted the impact the pandemic is having on children as well as adults.

In the state, nearly all of the pediatric ICU beds are also full, according to the COVID response website.

\"As the kid experts in the region, at Children's Minnesota, we have seen first-hand COVID-19’s direct and indirect effect on kids—not only can kids get seriously sick, but they’ve also had to deal with isolation and time away from loved ones,\" Gorelick told ABC News. \"More than 20 months into the pandemic, our statewide health system is undergoing another stress test, and we need everyone to partner with us as we continue this battle against COVID-19.\"

ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.

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