Coronavirus Vaccine In Minnesota: Who Is First In Line?

TWIN CITIES, MN — Minnesota healthcare workers, especially those who care for patients with coronavirus, will be first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine when its formally approved by the federal government and arrives in the state.

"We now know that there is light at the end of this tunnel, especially with the vaccines coming, and coming soon," Kris Ehresmann, Director of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at the Minnesota Department of Health, said at a news conference Monday.

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines shipped to Minnesota may only be enough to vaccinate 24,000 people, reports the Star Tribune. Shipments to states are set to begin in mid-December, which means Minnesotans could start getting vaccinated before Christmas Day, notes FOX 9.

The state must follow the phased allocation plan established by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Here's what that rollout will look like:

Phase 1a:

• Healthcare workers

Phase 1b:

• Essential workers

Phase 1c:

• Adults with high-risk medical conditions
• Adults who are 65 or older

In addition to their local hospitals, Minnesotans will be able to get the vaccine at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.