Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the COVID-19 response

Ryan White COVID-19 response updates

June 7, 2021

In this issue

COVID-19 response update

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) at Hennepin County Public Health (HCPH) remains committed to providing resources, technical assistance, and evidence-based information for subrecipients and people with HIV (PWH) to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. At this stage of the pandemic, HCPH and RWHAP are focused on closing COVID-19 vaccination gaps. 

People with HIV are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at lower rates

As of May 29, 2021, Minnesota EHR Consortium COVID-19 Project estimates 47.2% of Minnesotans have completed the COVID-19 vaccine series. Meanwhile, 48.8% of people with HIV are estimated to have completed the COVID-19 vaccine series. While that seems good, once adjusted for age, people with HIV are being vaccinated at a lower rate (38.0%).

Chart about vaccination rate for people with HIV

People with HIV ages 12+ should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine

There are three COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA):

  • The Pfizer (2-shot) vaccine is approved for people 12 and older
  • The Moderna (2-shot) and Johnson and Johnson (1-shot) vaccines are approved for people 18 and older

How do I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Use the Minnesota Vaccine Connector

You can actively look for places providing COVID-19 vaccines at https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp. Many locations now offer walk-in, same-day, or next-day appointments.

Hennepin County vaccine clinics

Between now and July 1, Hennepin County is offering the Moderna vaccine to people 18 and older and the Pfizer vaccine to people 12 and older at select clinics. Immediate vaccine appointments are available for all who register. Walk-ins are also accepted as supply allows. You do not have to be a Hennepin County resident.

  • Make an appointment online: https://hennepin.us/vaccineregistration
  • For questions or for help making an appointment, you can also call 612-348-8900. Help is available in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.

Hennepin County Public Health Clinic

The Hennepin County Public Health Clinic is offering first and second dose COVID-19 vaccinations to people 12 and older during normal clinic hours. The clinic has the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

Please call 612-543-5555 to schedule an appointment or for more information. Walk-ins are accepted as supply allows.

Clinic hours:

  • Monday - Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Thursday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Health Services Building; 525 Portland Avenue, 4th floor; Minneapolis, MN 55415

Don't miss

COVID-19 vaccine FAQs

Hennepin County has COVID-19 vaccine FAQs in English and other languages that are continually updated: https://hennepin.us/vaccinefaq

The county COVID-19 vaccine FAQs link to other trusted vaccine FAQs:

You can also call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline: 1-833-431-2053, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Get the facts

Vaccine toolkit for people with HIV

The RWHAP developed a COVID-19 vaccine toolkit for people with HIV (https://www.hennepin.us/business/work-with-henn-co/ryan-white-hiv-services#covid-vaccine-toolkit).

The email/letter template, newsletter template, and printable flyer will be updated on the RWHAP webpage as information changes. Check back for the most recent version.

These materials can be modified to meet your clients’ needs. Reach out if you have questions, suggestions, or feedback.

When in doubt continue to take precautions

Vaccines work. Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing. Learn more about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for fully vaccinated people (When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html).

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

  • 2 weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after the Johnson and Johnson single dose vaccine

People who are not fully vaccinated should continue to follow COVID-19 prevention steps.

If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your healthcare provider. Even after vaccination, you may need to continue taking all precautions (How to Protect Yourself and Others, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html).

COVID-19 variants

B.1.1.7 continues to be the dominant strain in Minnesota and the United States. Studies have shown the currently available vaccinations are protective against B.1.1.7. New variants continue to be identified. Studies will continue to determine how effective vaccinations are against emerging variants.

Learn more on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage (Variants and Genomic Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/index.html).

If you develop COVID symptoms get tested regardless of vaccination status

While COVID-19 infections are rare among people who are fully vaccinated, breakthrough cases do happen. Get tested if you have symptoms even if you are fully vaccinated.

If you are not fully vaccinated:

  • You will need to continue to quarantine if you have an exposure to COVID-19.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
  • However, if you live or work in a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Thank you for your continued service to people with HIV

Thank you for the extraordinary work these past 15 months to assist people with HIV in these challenging times. The entire RWHAP team greatly appreciates your efforts. Please reach out if you have questions. We are here to support you and the clients you serve.

Vaccination

Technical notes

From the Minnesota EHR Consortium COVID-19 Project website: “The Minnesota Electronic Health Record (EHR) Consortium is a group of researchers, data scientists and analysts from Minnesota Health Systems who have joined together to produce combined summary data for research and public health.

The COVID-19 Project is a public health surveillance effort from health systems with Departments of Health (e.g., Minnesota Department of Health). This information fills gaps in surveillance systems without the sharing of individual-level data. These data may be used to inform the allocation of health care resources during surges, to monitor viral activity and immunity in the community, to examine COVID-19 disparities, or to assess testing and treatment capacity.”

Health systems contributing data through the MN EHR Consortium include Allina, CentraCare, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, Essentia, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, M Health Fairview, Mayo, Minneapolis VA, North Memorial, and Sanford. Organizational partners include the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, Minnesota Community Measurement, and the Minnesota Department of Health.

The MN EHR Consortium COVID-19 Project will classify a patient as a person with HIV if they have had at least two HIV diagnosis codes reported in the EHR since Jan 1, 2016. As an approximation to this, HCPH defined the denominator as people with HIV who had a reported lab to the Minnesota Department of Health HIV surveillance in the same time period (previous 5 years). The most recently available year of HIV surveillance is 2019. These numbers were provided by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Ryan White chart for COVID response

About us

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program COVID-19 update is issued periodically to ensure service providers and people with HIV receive the necessary information to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Your feedback and suggestions for future updates are appreciated.

Contact us

jeremy.stadelman@hennepin.us

Follow us

facebooktwitterinstagramyoutubelinked in
Hennepin County