COVID-19 vaccine update and resources

By Wright County Public Health

On February 13, 2020, we at Wright County Public Health sent our first news release to local media about a novel coronavirus, COVID-19. It was a precautionary message, sharing what we knew of the virus at that time.

This past year has been very difficult for many and we grieve those who lost their lives to COVID-19. We keep those families, our communities and all our health care workers in our thoughts as we battle the virus.

Recently, our focus has shifted to vaccinating those who live or work in Wright County. We are so thankful that there are safe and effective vaccine options available. The demand simply exceeds supply at this point. We ask for your patience and understanding of this situation.

Many people may be experiencing confusion and frustration in trying to get their COVID-19 vaccination. We recognize those concerns and want you to know that local public health and all our health care partners are doing the best they can to get shots in arms.

We began vaccinating our Public Health Nurses on December 30, 2020, and they began vaccinating those in Phase 1A in January. Most people in Phase 1A are now vaccinated, and we have begun our vaccination efforts for early childhood through 12th grade school staff and childcare providers. We are also vaccinating those age 65 and older when we have enough doses.

Every Tuesday, we let the Minnesota Department of Health know how many people we could vaccinate the following week. By the end of day on Friday, we are made aware of the amount of vaccine we will receive. The vaccine arrives early the next week. During that window of time, we are developing a plan to use all that vaccine within 72 hours. Recently, we have been receiving 300-400 doses each week.

We currently hold vaccination clinics for specific priority groups with whom we communicate directly. At this time, we hold first dose clinics on Thursdays and second dose clinics on Tuesdays.

Here and across the state, people can get a vaccination through one of the following locations: health care providers, pharmacies, state vaccination sites, and local public health. Demand far exceeds the supply. We hope more vaccine becomes available soon.

Our partnerships with local health care and pharmacies are very important and helping us all to efficiently vaccinate people in our communities. Weekly meetings are taking place with them to discuss vaccinations. All our organizations are receiving vaccine, but the expectations to whom that vaccine can be provided varies. Health care providers are contacting patients age 65 and older to schedule vaccination appointments.

There are several communication tools and resources that we want you to know about and encourage you to check out. On our COVID-19 website (www.co.wright.mn.us/945/Coronavirus-COVID-19), you can sign up for our vaccine newsletter; if you are age 65 and older, you can also sign up for our random selection list for the COVID-19 vaccine. We also do our best to keep a frequently asked questions section updated with vaccine information. If you don’t have internet access, you can contact our Information Line at (763) 682-7607.

Thank you all for your continued patience and support. We will do our best to keep our communities informed about what is happening with COVID-19.

Recently, a person who came to one of our clinics to get their vaccine surprised our staff with a dozen roses (thank you to whoever did that!). That brightened everyone’s day; we could see their smiles under their mask! It was also a reminder of how important this work is, how far we have come, and that we can get through this together.