ST. PAUL — Another 4,741 doses of the vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, have been administered in Minnesota, the State Department of Health said Tuesday, Feb. 9.
In total, 162,132 people in the state have received the requisite two doses of the vaccine as of Sunday, Feb. 7, when new figures were reported to the health department. A total of 569,164 people have received at least one dose.
Health care workers and long-term care facilities have been given the bulk of vaccines shipped to Minnesota by the federal government so far. Growing numbers of elderly residents, school teachers and child care workers are being granted access to the vaccine, however, in a push to inoculate more of the state population.
That push will this week involve the distribution of vaccine doses to Walmart and Thrifty White Pharmacy locations across the state, as well as a one-time reallocation of doses to Walgreen's locations. Minnesotans ages 65 and older can make appointments online at those places, as well as at participating doctor's offices, hospitals and public health clinics, at mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine .
Through what health officials call the "Community Vaccination Program," 10 state-run clinics will also reopen beginning Thursday, Feb. 11 to administer second-round doses of the vaccine to elderly Minnesotans, school faculty and staff members and child care workers with previously scheduled appointments. According to the state health department's website, those 10 clinics are in:
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- Blaine
- Brooklyn Center
- Fergus Falls
- Marshall
- Mountain Iron
- North Mankato
- Rochester
- St. Cloud
- St. Paul
- Thief River Falls
Larger and more permanent state-run clinics in the program have already opened in Minneapolis and Duluth, with a third announced Monday, Feb. 8, that is due to open in Rochester sometime this week, although it is unclear when.
Older residents who previously pre-registered for an appointment at the clinics but did not receive one were placed on a waiting list. From that list, health officials will randomly make new appointments for the large-scale clinics. Additional pre-registrations cannot be made at the moment.
School and child care workers are to be notified by their respective employers about when and where they can get the vaccine.
Minnesota's vaccination campaign continues as the total number of COVID-19 cases recorded since the pandemic began climbs to 469,254. An additional 586 cases were reported Tuesday.
Six more people in Minnesota were reported by the health department to have died of COVID-19 on Tuesday as well. Four of the deaths occurred outside the Twin Cities area, and five occurred in long-term care settings.
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- 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 .
