Next In Line For Vaccine Rollout Will Be Minnesotans With Underlying Conditions, Essential Workers

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Gov. Tim Walz announced Thursday that after a significant percentage of Minnesota seniors are inoculated against COVID-19 the state’s rollout will expand to include Minnesotans with underlying health conditions and certain essential workers.

In a statement, the governor said that 70% of Minnesotans 65 and older would need to be vaccinated before the rollout expands. This benchmark is expected to be reached by the end of March. Currently, 43% of Minnesota seniors have been vaccinated.

Once the 70% percent benchmark is reached, the state’s program will expand to include Minnesotans with high-risk underlying health conditions and certain essential workers, such as those in food processing plants. According to the state’s projections, these groups should be eligible to be vaccinated in April.

The first group of Minnesotans with underlying conditions to get the vaccine will be those with specific high-risk conditions, such as Sickle cell disease, Down Syndrome, and active cancer treatment.

The program will then expand in late spring to include Minnesotans ages 45-64 with one high-risk condition and Minnesotans ages 16-44 with two or more high-risk conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control, these conditions include cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart conditions, and pregnancy.

At the same time, essential workers in agriculture, retail, food service, manufacturing, mail delivery, public transit, and correctional settings will be eligible for the vaccine. So too will be Minnesotans ages 50 and over in multi-generational housing.

Toward the end of spring, younger Minnesotans with underlying conditions will be prioritized. The last group of essential workers to be vaccinated will be those in transpiration, finance, housing construction, media, public safety, and the legal profession.

According to the governor’s office, all Minnesotans should have the chance to get the vaccine by summer. Health officials say the rollout plan is based on science, medical evidence and federal guidelines.

The state’s vaccination push began late last year, starting with residents in long-term care facilities and frontline health care workers. Last month, the rollout expanded to include prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers, child care workers and Minnesotans ages 65 and older.

The vaccine is being distributed at hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and community sites across the state. Nearly 20,000 doses are being administered in the state each day.

Since the start of the outbreak nearly a year ago, more than 480,000 people in Minnesota have tested positive for the virus, and 6,450 people have died.

Source: CBS Minnesota