COVID-19 Vaccine Newsletter: February 9, 2021
What’s New?
State of Minnesota’s COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program (CVP)
The State of Minnesota will be opening a new community vaccination site this week in Rochester for a one-day vaccination clinic. The large-scale, semi-permanent site will be the third of its kind, joining vaccination sites in Minneapolis and Duluth that launched last week. The Rochester site will be able to serve approximately 1,500 people. This week’s vaccination clinic will be for people 65 years of age and older.
Minnesotans age 65 and older who registered for the state’s COVID-19 65+ vaccine registry and are on the waiting list will be randomly selected and allowed to schedule an appointment at the Rochester site. More information will be announced later this week about an ongoing way for Minnesotans to sign up for information about vaccination opportunities. If you have any questions or would like more information, view information about the State of Minnesota CVP on the State of Minnesota website.
State of Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program (VPP)
In partnership with school districts and local public health, the state held two COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program (VPP) clinics in January 2021. This was done to test the concept of community vaccination and to identify best practices for registering patients, administering shots, and distributing vaccine around the state. To date, approximately 43,422 Minnesotans received first doses at the VPP’s nine clinics and one pop-up event. Second doses will be administered in Rochester on February 11, 12, and 13 and February 18, 19, and 20. Only those who received the first dose at one of the January VPP clinics will be eligible to attend a clinic.
Community vaccination status and updates
Mass vaccination clinic held February 5 and 6, 2021
Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS) collaborated with Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), Mayo Clinic, City of Rochester, Rochester Police Department, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Rochester Community and Technical College, and others this past weekend to vaccinate more people in the 1A priority group. This clinic was possible because Olmsted County Public Health received a significant amount of vaccine from the state. This is the first COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic offered through OCPHS.
Despite the cold temperatures, vaccinations were provided to 2,158 individuals working in home health, adult foster care, group homes, schools, and child care, and to clergy making community visits. Vaccine inventory remains limited and not everyone included in the 1A priority group could be scheduled for these clinics; however, we continue to make great progress. Unfortunately, OCPHS officials recently discovered that registration links for these mass vaccination clinics that were sent to specific local businesses, for their identified employees, were shared with others who are not currently in these prioritized groups and not eligible to receive the vaccine at this time.
Those who registered but were not specifically invited to these vaccination events will receive a cancelation. This is necessary to ensure that appointments are available for people needing the second dose of vaccine in a timely fashion. For individuals who received their first vaccination this past week and are awaiting the scheduling of their second dose, we appreciate your patience. Your information is in the OCPHS system and you will receive a confirmation email with a date, time, and location for your second dose by Friday, February 12, 2021.
“The COVID vaccination clinic was run as well, if not better, than Chick-fil-A”
-vaccine clinic participant
Clinic for people facing homelessness and those who work with them
Last week, the State of Minnesota provided vaccinations to people facing homelessness and those who work with them. The mobile clinic was held on February 4, 2021 at The Salvation Army. A total of 130 vaccinations were provided to this vulnerable group who experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2020. Mayo Clinic’s paramedicine team administered the shots, and others who regularly work with this population assisted with outreach and transportation. A few individuals in the broader community found out about the clinic and showed up at The Salvation Army hoping to receive a vaccination; however, these individuals were turned away. While they were disappointed, they were cooperative and understanding once they understood we had limited vaccine and that the vaccine was specifically allocated by the state to this particular group. Thank you to our partners for making this clinic a success: the Rochester Public Library, The Salvation Army, The Landing, the Rochester Community Warming Center and Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, Mayo Medical School, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance.
COVID-19 Community Hotline
The COVID-19 Community Hotline (507-328-2822) has been the calming voice of information and answers to the public since March 2020. The Rochester Public Library is the first point of contact and thus far, the team has answered more than 5,200 calls from the public seeking information and guidance related to COVID-19. While the call center team can answer most calls, the more difficult questions get routed to the Health and Essential Services team at Olmsted County. This team has talked to nearly 2,000 callers. This past week was the busiest yet for the Health and Essential Services team responding to more than 100 calls. Together, this small group of dedicated professionals provides answers, guidance, and comfort to those who are confused, scared, and needing someone to talk to. Vaccine-related questions have outnumbered all other types of calls that have been coming in since mid-December 2020.
At this time, it is important to remember:
- Health care providers will reach out to you when you are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine via either your patient portal, a mailed letter, or a phone call. Please do not call them to ask when you can get the vaccine.
- Businesses, agencies, and organizations should complete the online business vaccination planning form. OCPHS will verify the information, prioritize the organizations according to the state guidelines, and then reach out to them directly when the vaccine is available to them.
- At this time, not all vaccination priority groups have been clearly defined so it is difficult to provide a timeline of when certain businesses or professions will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- We have more demand for the vaccine than we have supply of the vaccine. We ask for your patience and understanding as we are truly working to vaccinate the community as quickly as we can.
Mayo Update
Mayo Clinic is receiving a small weekly shipment of COVID-19 vaccines for Minnesota residents 65 and older. Given the need to equitably distribute doses and the high number of patients in this age group, we began vaccinating people 80 and older on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 and those 75 and older the week of Monday, February 8, 2021. COVID-19 vaccination eligibility will expand to younger age groups as we receive supplies of COVID-19 vaccines.
For patients to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, they must:
- Have a primary care provider at Mayo, have been seen within the past two years, and have a residence in Minnesota (may include some Iowa and Wisconsin patients); or,
- Have been seen at Mayo Clinic within the past two years and have a residence within the catchment area where they were seen. These criteria will be used for patients who do not have a primary care provider at Mayo ― that is, they have been to Mayo for specialty care only.
The catchment area includes Blue Earth, Brown, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Rice, Scott, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, and Winona counties.
Patients who meet these criteria will receive a phone call or an invitation via Patient Online Services to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Patients who do not have a Patient Online Services account can call Mayo Clinic Customer Assistance at 877-858-0398 to establish one.
Patients will be contacted by Mayo Clinic in Rochester if they live in any of these counties and have been seen in Rochester. Mayo Clinic Health System in Southeast Minnesota and Southwest Minnesota are contacting those not contacted by Rochester who were seen in their region and live in their counties.
Olmsted Medical Center update
OMC is committed to providing the COVID-19 vaccination to its patients and is reaching out to eligible patients as they receive vaccine. Eligible patients will be contacted by OMC through OMC MyChart (patient portal) or by phone or text.
Signing up for an OMC MyChart account offers a quick and easy way to receive information about eligibility for getting the COVID-19 vaccine. To sign up for OMC MyChart, visit https://www.olmmed.org/omc-mychart.
Education / Information
Available vaccines
Currently, two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have been approved for emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For us here in Minnesota, who can get the vaccine and when will depend on how much vaccine the manufacturers are able to produce and deliver, as well as how many vaccine doses our state receives from the federal government.
Two doses are needed for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The time between the doses depends on which vaccine you receive. The Pfizer vaccine (ultra-cold vaccine) must be given 21 days (3 weeks) apart and the Moderna vaccine (frozen vaccine) must be given 28 days apart (1 month/4 weeks).
It is very important that individuals receive both vaccine doses, the same product for each dose, and that the doses are administered following the timetables given above. The vaccine is only fully effective with both doses. If someone receives just one dose but not the second, they may not be protected (immune) against COVID-19.
Several other COVID-19 vaccines are in development. All vaccines must go through clinical trials to ensure they are safe and effective before they can be given to the public.