Olmsted County leaders planning for pandemic vaccination

Date:      December 4, 2020

Contact:  Kari Etrheim, Olmsted County Public Health |  covidpio@co.olmsted.mn.us

ROCHESTER, Minn. – The arrival of a vaccine for COVID-19 has been greatly anticipated by many people, including Public Health and our health care partners.

Vaccinating tens of thousands of people in a short amount of time requires a great deal of planning, coordination and cooperation. Olmsted County has a long history of working together to find the best solutions to address concerns affecting our residents and visitors. For several weeks, public and private sector partners have been meeting to operationalize how to vaccinate large amounts of people, quickly, safely and efficiently. Many of these partners were also involved in the 2009 H1N1 mass vaccination efforts, however, this pandemic is much larger in scope and complexity than any previous outbreak-related vaccination response.

Public Health, Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center vaccine, emergency preparedness and logistics experts are reviewing and revising existing vaccination distribution plans, ensuring systems are in place, health data is secure, safety protocols are in place, and the resources needed for sustaining a successful mass vaccination plan are available. The goal is to have a plan that is flexible and nimble to accommodate different vaccines and scenarios.

We do not yet know when a vaccine for COVID-19 will be available for use but could be available in small quantities for certain priority groups as early as mid-December. Because of the limited supply, some groups will be recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine first, including healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents.

The local vaccination plans will follow the recommendation set by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) using the federal guidelines on which groups will get the vaccine first.

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