3 things to know if you’re newly eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota

In a major milestone for the state’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, all Minnesotans aged 16 and over are now officially eligible to be vaccinated – regardless of age, location, occupation, health conditions or their living situation.

But state health officials warn that the expansion does not mean vaccine doses will be immediately available to all eligible people.

As of Friday, 1.6 million Minnesota – more than a third of the state’s now eligible population aged 16 and over – had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And this week, the state is expected to cross the one million mark who have received their full series of vaccines – two doses of the vaccine made by Moderna or Pfizer, or one dose of the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson.

The process of getting an appointment for a vaccine can be confusing – and state health officials say there will certainly be a lot more demand this week than the vaccines available. Here are three things you need to know if you are new to vaccine research.

1) There are many routes leading to a date.

State health officials have urged residents of Minnesota to sign up for alerts through the state’s Vaccine Connector tool, an online and phone-based system used to alert people of appointments available at nearby community clinics.

But health officials are urging people not to stop there – and not wait to be contacted to seek the vaccine. They say people should take the opportunity to get vaccinated if this happens – whether through a clinic or a call from their doctor.

There are plenty of opportunities in Minnesota to get an appointment – through nonprofits, drugstore chains, tribal health services, veterans clinics, and more. Explore our full guide – which we’ll continue to update – here.

2) Some vendors will continue to prioritize certain groups.

The providers administering the vaccine – from large healthcare systems and doctors’ offices to local pharmacies, public and tribal health departments and beyond – have different priorities for the people they are trying to reach. achieve.

Healthcare providers, for example, could continue to prioritize immunization of patients who are older or have specific health problems, over younger and healthier patients.

And many local public health departments and hospital systems say they plan to continue hosting immunization clinics and other efforts to deliver the vaccine to people who might otherwise have difficulty accessing it.

3) Other doses are on the way.

This week, the state’s health department expects to receive more than 300,000 doses of the available COVID-19 vaccines: 182,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine; 107,600 of the Moderna vaccine; and 31,800 of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

This is an increase from the previous weeks, and the supply is expected to continue to grow. By the second week of April, the state plans to receive more than 500,000 doses of the vaccine.

But even as supply increases, state health officials have said they expect demand to far exceed this, for weeks to come.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations require two doses within three to four weeks of each other. Doses are scheduled 21 days apart for Pfizer vaccine and 28 days apart for Moderna vaccine. You must get your two doses from the same manufacturer. Public health officials are considering strategies to ensure that people who get their first shot return in time for their second injection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people receive their second dose as close as possible to the prescribed time frame, although they recently updated their guidelines to allow up to six weeks between vaccinations, but only if they is not possible to follow the recommended interval.

The vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson requires one dose.

Health officials estimate it could take up to a few weeks after vaccination to boost immunity.

Bonus: a few other things to know

When looking for a vaccine for yourself or your loved ones, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

Adolescents can only receive the Pfizer vaccine. So far, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 16 and 17 year olds.

The vaccine is free. The federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine as part of its national response to the coronavirus; it buys the vaccine from manufacturers and distributes it to states. If you’re asked for your bank account, credit card, or social security number – or a payment of any kind – it’s a scam. But keep in mind that you may be asked for your insurance information when you arrive at your appointment.

Citizenship is not required. You will need to have an address in Minnesota to pre-register for a vaccine through the state system. But you don’t have to be a US citizen. And while some providers may ask for some form of identification or proof of eligibility when you arrive to be vaccinated, the state health department says it has asked providers to “avoid doing anything. documentation a barrier to vaccination.

You can’t pay to be on a priority list – and you can’t order a dose of vaccine online. If you are told that you can pay to be put on a list to receive a vaccine, it is a scam. While some health care systems organize lists of people interested in getting the vaccine, listing is free. If you are told that someone can send you the vaccine, that is also a scam. Vaccines will only be administered by healthcare professionals.

Experts recommend continuing to take precautions after vaccination. For a handful of reasons, masks and social distancing will still be recommended for some time after people are fully vaccinated, especially as cases of COVID-19 variants continue to grow.

In early March, the CDC issued recommendations that people who have been fully immunized – those who received their last dose of vaccine at least two weeks earlier – can congregate indoors, without a mask, with others. vaccinated people.

According to the Associated Press, “The recommendations also say that vaccinated people can get together in the same way – in the same household – with people considered to be at low risk of serious illness, as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting homes. healthy children and grandchildren. ”

But the CDC also recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks, avoid large gatherings, and continue to walk away socially in public – and adds that they should get tested for COVID-19 if they develop related symptoms. to disease.

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The data in these charts is based on cumulative totals from the Minnesota Department of Health released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at Department of Health website.

The coronavirus is transmitted by respiratory droplets, coughs and sneezes, in the same way that the flu can be spread.