COVID-19 vaccine newsletter – March 16, 2021

What’s new?

Help Olmsted County become a community of immunity

Our comeback story can’t be written without you. Olmsted County Public Health, Mayo Clinic, and Olmsted Medical Center have teamed up to provide up to date and important information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Our best hope to come back together as family, friends, and a community is the COVID-19 vaccine. Together we encourage you to learn about the COVID-19 vaccine and to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s your turn.

Join us in writing our comeback story. Here are some steps you can take today:

• Encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to sign up to receive the weekly COVID-19 vaccine newsletter. Click “subscribe” on the front page of the Olmsted County website.
• Share Olmsted County Public Health social media updates and information.
• Get the COVID vaccine when it’s your turn.
• Encourage and help your friends, family, neighbors, and other loved ones get the vaccine when it’s their turn.

Learn more on the Olmsted County COVID-19 webpage and on the Olmsted County Public Health Facebook page.  

COVID-19 restrictions relaxed

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Friday, March 12, 2021, that he is loosening restrictions on social gatherings, bars, restaurants, and more. Walz said restrictions are loosening as vaccinations ramp up in the state and COVID-19 cases fall.

The following adjustments to COVID-19 restrictions became effective on Monday, March 15, 2021:  

• Up to 50 people can gather outdoors and 15 people indoors, both without household limits.
• Pod size increased to 50 for outdoor youth sports activities.
• No occupancy limit is required for religious services, but physical distancing is required.
• Celebrations must follow venue guidance.
• Bars and restaurants can increase occupancy to 75% with a limit of 250 people. Limits will apply separately for indoors and outdoors. Bar seating increases to parties of four.
• The occupancy limit is now removed for salons and barbers, but physical distancing will be required.
• Occupancy increases to 50% for gyms, fitness centers, pools, and outdoor classes will increase to 50 people.
• Entertainment venues can increase occupancy to 50%, up from 25%, with a limit of 250 people.

Vaccine status updates

 Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS)

Steady vaccination progress continues with 35% of Olmsted County’s population having received at least one dose of vaccine and 24.6% completing the two-dose series. Olmsted County has one of the highest vaccination percentages in the state.

Over 81% of Olmsted County adults 65 and older have received at least one dose through their medical provider, pharmacy, or one of the state-run clinics. EMS/first responders and workers in health care, long-term care, and schools have all been offered vaccines and Olmsted County is moving into Phase 1b on the vaccination rollout schedule. This week, OCPHS will be vaccinating up to 1,300 food manufacturing employees.

Second doses

OCPHS has administered over 5,000 first doses; however, about 3% of those individuals have not received their second dose and are not registered at any of our clinics. In order to be fully vaccinated, it is important to understand that if you received just one shot of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, you still need a second dose. Only one dose of the newly added Johnson & Johnson vaccine is needed.

OCPHS is reaching out to those who have received only one shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines to register them for their second dose; however, this requires considerable time, effort, and coordination. It is important that individuals keep their scheduled second dose appointments. If you are unable to keep your second dose appointment, OCPHS will do its best to re-schedule appointments, but cannot guarantee the second dose will occur during the recommended timeline. OCPHS is unable to reserve or hold doses for individuals.  

If you need a second dose and do not have an appointment scheduled, contact the organization that administered the first dose to you.

Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is moving to the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations in Minnesota, based on Governor Tim Walz's announcement on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, that COVID-19 vaccination eligibility is expanding to phase 1b, tiers 2 and 3. Eligibility information, including specific high-risk conditions, is outlined on the Minnesota COVID-19 Response website.

Mayo Clinic will prioritize vaccinations for patients who fall in tiers 2 and 3 and meet the criteria outlined below:

• Have a primary care provider at Mayo Clinic; have been seen at Mayo within the past two years; and reside in Minnesota, including Minnesota residents seen at Iowa and Wisconsin clinics.
• Have received specialty care at Mayo Clinic within the past two years and reside in one of these state-designated southern Minnesota counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Rice, Scott, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, or Winona.

Patients who meet these criteria will receive a phone call, an invitation via Patient Online Services, or a letter to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Olmsted Medical Center (OMC)

OMC is committed to providing the COVID-19 vaccination to its patients and will reach out to patients as they become eligible. OMC will continue to use a randomized process, as vaccine is available, and will vaccinate patients as fast as possible based on the amount of vaccine received.

Based on the governor’s recommendations, OMC has expanded vaccine eligibility. This week, OMC will begin vaccinating people ages 45-64 with two or more of the following underlying conditions: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cancer, heart conditions, immunocompromised, obesity, Diabetes Type 1 or 2, and pregnancy.

OMC will continue to vaccinate individuals 65+, and people with specific underlying health conditions (age 16+): Sickle cell disease, Down syndrome, those in cancer treatment or immunocompromised from organ transplant, oxygen-dependent Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), and oxygen-dependent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

When OMC moves through this group, it will offer vaccines to patients as defined by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) based on age and risk factor. Vaccinations will also be determined based on the availability and the amount of vaccine received.

Patients who are eligible for the vaccine will be contacted by OMC, there is no sign-up list. For our patients who are not able to be on OMC MyChart, they will be contacted by phone or text.

Education / information

Can I request a specific vaccine?

All three available COVID vaccines are safe and effective. Patients cannot choose which vaccine to receive at this time. Supplies continue to be limited and organizations often receive different vaccines and amounts each week. Organizations will distribute the vaccine that is available to them. We encourage people to get the vaccine that is offered to them.

Who decides who can be vaccinated?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations on who should get the vaccine. Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has brought together the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Advisory Group to help ensure they are making strategic and fair decisions about how the vaccine will be distributed. The advisory group is comprised of external partners who represent key populations in the state, such as local public health, long-term care, pharmacy partners, diverse communities, and more. The final decisions about how to distribute COVID-19 vaccine ultimately come from Governor Tim Walz. See the vaccine prioritization guidance.

Watch out for vaccine scams!

Public health officials or health care providers will never ask for money, your bank account, credit card, or social security number when administering a COVID-19 vaccine. Offers to sell or ship doses of the vaccine are also a scam. If you believe you are the victim of a COVID-19 scam, fill out a COVID-19 Complaint Form.

One year of COVID-19 in Olmsted County

One year of the pandemic

The first case of COVID-19 was announced in Olmsted County on March 11, 2020. The novel coronavirus had just been detected for the first time in the U.S. seven weeks earlier in Washington. At that time, no one knew the devasting impacts the pandemic would create.

Olmsted County is surrounded by a community of health and social services experts. Living in a community, often referred to as the “Med City,” has greatly assisted local efforts this past year. These internal and external relationships were well established prior to the start of COVID-19, which has ensured a trusting and solid foundation in our response efforts.  

Local response highlights include:

• Olmsted County webpage created for up-to-date information and data related to COVID-19 situation, testing, and the vaccine.
• Coordinated face mask collection and distribution to those in need.
• Established the Graham Park Collaborative Collection Site with Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center. It opened March 23, 2020 and closed for the winter months on November 14, 2020. This is the first community collaborative COVID-19 collection site in the state, with 75,637 tests completed at this site.
• Opened the Community COVID-19 Call Center with the City of Rochester. Over 6,000 calls have been answered.
• Coordinated local case contact investigations, monitoring, cluster control, and outbreak management to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to others.
• Distributing COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals and essential workers. Olmsted County is in the top five counties in the state in terms of total number of individuals vaccinated.