More than half of Minnesotans age 65 and older have received a vaccine dose
More than half of Minnesotans age 65 and older have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to state data, 51% of Minnesota seniors have received a first dose as of Friday, while 15.8% of all people statewide have received a first dose. Gov. Tim Walz said the state will prioritize those 65 and older because that group accounts for 90% of the state’s COVID-related deaths.
Walz has stated that 70% of the 65 and older population should have at least one vaccine dose before the state can expand eligibility to other populations.
Once that target is reached, those with certain underlying conditions and essential workers in food processing plants will also be eligible to receive a vaccine. Walz expects those groups will be eligible by April as the 70% target should be reached by the end of March.
MDH reported a record number of more than 70,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered on Friday, the figures for which were reported on Sunday.
By late spring, eligibility is expected to open up to people age 45-65 with one listed underlying condition and people age 18-44 with two listed underlying conditions. Essential frontline workers will also be made eligible at that time.
State of Minnesota
On Friday, the state was also meeting its goal of 90% of available doses being administered for the last 3 and 7 day periods.
Currently, more than 1.28 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to healthcare providers in Minnesota, and 268,000 doses have been shipped for the state’s long-term care vaccination program.
That state currently has 658 provider sites. On Friday, 44,725 doses of the vaccine were administered. In total, the state has administered more than 1.3 million shots.
