Friends and neighbors –
There has been encouraging news lately on the vaccine front. It is badly needed, given how far behind Minnesota is. North Dakota, for example, has administered 77% of its vaccines. South Dakota is at 61%. Minnesota is at only 42%, which is actually an improvement from a week ago.
So last week when the governor announced he would open up vaccines to anyone over age 65, I applauded the move. Seniors are the group most at risk of becoming infected with Covid, so getting them to the front of the line for vaccinations is an important step.
But this morning we received word that the governor was launching a new vaccine pilot program, in which the state would partner with school districts and local health officials to vaccinate certain groups: seniors, teachers, school staff, and child care workers.
The governor’s vaccine management continues to bewilder me. On the surface, the pilot program sounds good. But Minnesota’s vaccine rollout has been far behind where it should be, so why launch a new, inefficient pilot program instead of relying our existing health infrastructure? The governor’s approach makes no sense, but it does explain why we are so slow. Minnesota health systems, clinics, and pharmacies are being underutilized. Let’s use them.
We are in a pandemic. Time is critical. The governor seems to be spending most of his time complaining about not receiving enough doses from the federal government, but so far we haven’t even used what we’ve got. The most immediate task is getting our existing vaccines out the door to the most vulnerable, seniors and those with existing health conditions. A small pilot program won’t help us move fast enough to reach that goal.
Sincerely,