[ad_1]
Older Minnesotans will have more options to get the vaccine two weeks after it was first made available at new state-run clinics. Two of those clinics – including one in Duluth – will be expanded to operate more permanently in the future, Gov. Tim Walz said on Monday February 1, while the others are expected to reopen next week for booster injections.
“We have long expected that most Minnesotans get vaccinated where they are used to receiving their health care – places like small clinics, local hospitals and community pharmacies,” the governor said in a statement. “But not everyone has a doctor or pharmacy they’re familiar with. That’s why we’ve built a reliable network of different ways Minnesotans will be able to access the vaccine. After careful planning, we are now activating this. network to give Minnesotans Options near you. “
The governor’s announcement comes at the start of the first week in which Minnesota will receive additional doses of the vaccine from the federal government. An additional 11,000 doses were due to be shipped to the state in addition to the 60,000 it typically sent out each week as part of a plan to boost vaccine supplies previously announced by President Joe Biden’s administration.
Minnesotans aged 65 and over will be able to find nearby vaccine suppliers using an enhanced State Department of Health web tool that kicks off Monday. More than 35,000 doses are set aside for the new effort this week, according to Walz’s office.
Babysitters, teachers and school staff – also served by the state-run clinics that were launched two weeks ago – who have not yet received their vaccines will be able to do so in a longer time. large clinic in Minneapolis, which operates on a more permanent basis than the clinic that had opened there previously. According to Walz’s office, they will also receive the vaccine at 35 county and local public health clinics in Minnesota, as well as pharmacies in Brainerd, St. Cloud and Rochester that are expected to receive it.
Education and child care workers will be notified by their respective employers when they can get the vaccine.
A second large-scale vaccination clinic similar to the one in Minneapolis will also be opened in Duluth. Seniors will still have access to the Duluth and Minneapolis clinics, and the launch of another clinic in southern Minnesota is slated for next week.
State Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said on Monday that new semi-permanent clinics are expected to open in the near future. By opening the clinics, she said, Minnesota is applying lessons learned over the past two weeks in which the community clinic concept was tested.
“We need to be ready to vaccinate Minnesotans on a large scale, efficiently and quickly when we start getting more vaccines from the federal government,” Malcolm said on a press call.
According to the state health department website. More than 220,000 people aged 65 and over pre-registered on the Department of Health’s website and hotline last week.
Community clinics in Blaine, Brooklyn Center, Fergus Falls, Marshall, Mountain Iron, North Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, St. Paul and Thief River Falls, however, won’t reopen until next week. They will remain open for two weeks starting next Thursday, February 11, to administer second-round injections of the vaccine, two of which are needed for maximum effectiveness, according to the Department of Health’s website.
Right now, the plan is for people to return to the same community clinics where they received their initial doses for their follow-up injections.
Prior to two weeks ago, vaccination efforts during the coronavirus pandemic had primarily focused on healthcare workers and residents or patients in long-term care facilities, the latter at particular risk of dying. of COVID-19.
On Monday, state health officials reported that nearly 560,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered so far. About 111,000 people in Minnesota received the required two doses of the vaccine, while 418,299 others received at least one injection.
727 more cases of COVID-19 were reported in Minnesota on Monday. Two more deaths have also been reported, both in the Twin Cities area.
Malcolm also said Monday that Minnesota continues to test residents for COVID-19 at a more or less constant rate, and that the share of tests returning positive – calculated on a seven-day moving average – is 4.8% .
About 387 people are hospitalized due to COVID-19, Malcolm said, including 92 in intensive care units.
As a public service, we’ve opened this article to everyone, regardless of subscription status. If this coverage is important to you, consider supporting local journalism by clicking the subscribe button in the upper right corner of the home page.
- Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline: 651-201-3920.
- COVID-19 Discrimination Hotline: 833-454-0148
- Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 website: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) website.
[ad_2]
Source link