MN Completes First Round Of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

TWIN CITIES, MN — The Minnesota Department of Health announced Monday that all vaccine doses needed to provide first shots to hospital health care personnel in the "phase 1a – first priority" group have been distributed.

Nearly 300,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to Minnesota by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 150,000 doses have been sent to hospital settings, enough to provide the first dose for all hospital workers.

Hospitals now must work through the logistics of administering the vaccine to health care personnel.

"Enough vaccine has now been allocated by the state and delivered to providers to complete the first shots for all first priority, phase 1a health care workers. Hospitals and other vaccinators now are taking the necessary steps to administer vaccine to health care personnel," Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.

"This is not an easy task as much of the vaccination is happening within hospitals that are already stretched very thin right now. They are working through the process and we are making progress."

The state is assisting the federal government in knowing where in Minnesota to send vaccine doses and ensuring vaccine providers administer them safely.

So far, most of the vaccine doses have been sent to private health care providers and pharmacies.

"Until there is enough vaccine for everyone, we are focused on immunizing for impact. We will start with the people who are most likely to get COVID-19 and those most at risk of serious complications," said Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann.