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Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

Minn.’s top public health officials answer your questions about the initial vaccine rollout

A sign reads COVID-19 vaccine check in.
A sign alerts people to the check-in area on Thursday at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Nine COVID-19 vaccine sites opened around the state Thursday for those with appointments as part a pilot program intended to speed vaccinations to people age 65 and older as well as educators and child care workers.
Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News file

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Beginning Tuesday, older Minnesotans will have a 24-hour window to register for a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. It will be random selection rather than first come, first served. The web and telephone queues opened up last week to a widening pool of candidates.

Minnesotans ages 65 and over, child care providers and teachers are now eligible to get vaccinated alongside front-line health care workers and people who live or work at long-term care facilities.

Even though eligibility is growing, the number of doses available remains limited.

The slow rollout is a source of contention among Minnesota lawmakers, but state officials point to bottlenecks within the federal government which doles out vaccines to each state. Right now, Minnesota’s share is about 60,000 doses per week.

Minnesota's top public health officials spoke with MPR News host Kerri Miller about the state’s initial vaccine rollout and when Minnesotans can expect vaccination rates to ramp up.

Guests:

  • Jan Malcolm is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health.

  • Kris Ehresmann is the director of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.

Correction (Jan. 26, 2021): A previous version of this story misstated the time of day the web and telephone queues would open for vaccine appointments in Minnesota. The story has been updated.

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