Administration of COVID-19 vaccines continues in Mower County

The administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is continuing not only in Mower County and southeastern Minnesota, but the rest of the state as well.  KAUS News spoke with Pam Kellogg, Division Manager with Mower County Health and Human Services who stated that all counties in southeastern Minnesota are still working to vaccinate the 1A priority group, which includes healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities…

Kellogg went on to state that Mower County Public Health is receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine,  while healthcare workers at hospitals are receiving the Phizer vaccine, and she also stated that Mower County Health and Human Services will put out information in the future concerning when area residents will be able to receive the vaccine…

At last word, Minnesota has administered the coronavirus vaccine to nearly 194,462 people and 38,025 have received both shots of the vaccine, which is required for maximum effectiveness.

Minnesota has now used roughly 45 percent of the 626,925 vaccine doses it has been allocated by the federal government.  407,575 of the allocated doses have been shipped to the state and it is unclear how many have actually arrived.

Roughly 110,000 of those shipped doses are promised to a federal initiative vaccinating long-term care residents and workers. State leaders announced a pilot program in nine communities on Monday that aims to provide whatever coronavirus vaccine the state has to seniors, teachers and child-care workers. The first vaccines Minnesota received, starting in late December, were focused on front-line medical workers and long-term care residents.

The community vaccination pilot is a joint effort between health care providers, local public health departments and school districts.  The nine communities in the pilot include Rochester, North Mankato, Anoka, Brooklyn Center, Fergus Falls, Marshall, Mountain Iron, St. Cloud and Thief River Falls.