Today, Senator Karin Housley (R-Stillwater), Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, held a committee hearing to discuss concerns over the Minnesota Vaccine Connector website, and the lack of transparency regarding the Governor’s decision-making process for vaccine distribution. After being invited to multiple committee hearings, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm was present for discussion.
“Myself and others have heard from many seniors across the state that are outraged by questions asked on the vaccine connector, yet they are so desperate to get the vaccine, they are answering these invasive questions,” said Senator Housley. “Questions asking about a senior’s depression, gender identity and sexual orientation are completely irrelevant. Some of these topics are things that should be shared between a medical provider and a patient—there is no reason the government should be asking such invasive questions. The government’s desire to acquire this data should be concerning to absolutely everyone. Most importantly, these questions should not stand between our most vulnerable seniors and a vaccine!”
Governor Walz announced yesterday that he would consider broadening vaccination efforts to include more groups, although only 42% of Minnesota seniors have received the first dose of the vaccine, with under 15% being fully vaccinated with both doses. AARP also sent a letter to the Governor expressing a desire for improvements to the statewide COVID vaccination plan. Highlighted concerns from AARP members included in the letter are issues with scheduling vaccination, a clear lack of direction on where to turn for appointments and answers, transportation barriers, and lack of clarity throughout the entirety of the process.
“Not only are our seniors being forced to jump through hoops just to get on a list for a vaccine, they are still being pushed to the side,” continued Senator Housley. “Governor Walz continuously claims that seniors are the top priority, yet he announced yesterday he’s already considering broadening vaccination groups. We should NOT be moving forward with vaccine efforts until 95% of our vaccines get into the arms of seniors who want them. We are told to “trust the data,” yet the data clearly shows seniors are the most vulnerable and the most at-risk—absolutely every single dose should into the arms of seniors who want to be protected, then we can return to this conversation about broadening vaccination categories. How many seniors will be forced to be alone on Easter for the second year in a row because our Governor refuses to give them vaccine doses? It’s unacceptable.”
Commissioner Jan Malcolm was unable to commit to the Minnesota Department of Health altering the vaccine questionnaire, nor would she confirm that seniors would be prioritized before expanding vaccination efforts to other groups.
Senator Housley has previously proposed a Seniors 1st Vaccine Plan as an alternative.