The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced new booster recommendations for Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, and mixing and matching. While boosters can provide additional protection, all three vaccines continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Research findings back the need for boosters for certain individuals because of waning immunity over time.
For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series:
For the nearly 15 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
CDC’s recommendations now allow for getting a different vaccine for your booster than you had for your initial series. If you have questions about if you should stick with the same vaccine or get a different one, talk to your healthcare provider. If you are interested in receiving a booster shot, you can confirm your eligibility based on self-attestation, no documentation is needed. If you are interested in scheduling a vaccine clinic for your program, you can email josh.leopold@state.mn.us or kayla.chapman.c19@state.mn.us.
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) has Federal Fiscal Recovery Funds available to support rapid responses to outbreaks in shelters and other temporary congregate settings for people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence. OEO will be working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to allocate available funding for targeted, immediate outbreak response activities to support an effective response and reduce the health impacts for shelter guests and staff.
Initially, funding will available to situations that meet these three qualifications:
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Operating a congregate shelter or temporary congregate settings with shared sleeping arrangements that serves people experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and/or human trafficking, and
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Three or more cases of confirmed COVID-19 associated with a setting during their exposure or infectious period, and
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The applicant for funds is a nonprofit, local unit of government, or Tribal Nation.
If you meet these thresholds, the survey to request funding will open after the webinar on Wednesday, October 27, and can be found on the Heading Home Alliance website. Entities can request funding back to the allocation date of September 15, 2021. If you have an active COVID-19 outbreak at your congregate setting, please reach out to the MDH congregate health team at Health.R-Congregate@state.mn.us, for support managing the response.
The State of Minnesota has launched ‘Kids Deserve a Shot,’ a vaccine incentives program encouraging Minnesotans 12-17 years old to roll up their sleeves and get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. There are two incentives available:
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Minnesotans 12-17 years old who complete the COVID-19 vaccine series between October 18 and November 30 are eligible for a $200 Visa gift card.
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All Minnesotans 12-17 years old who have completed their COVID-19 vaccine series at any time in 2021 can enter to win a $100,000 Minnesota College scholarship. The State of Minnesota will hold five drawings of $100,000 for five students to attend any public or private non-profit educational institution in Minnesota. You can register for the drawing here.
Youth experiencing homelessness are eligible for these incentives and these statewide incentives can be partnered with the $100 gift cards being provided at the time of the first shot by our state contracted vaccine providers supporting homeless service settings. To access these rewards you will need to provide an address where you can currently receive mail. This does not have to be a permanent mailing address. Be sure to provide the same information (name, etc.) that you provided when you got vaccinated to ensure they can find your information in the vaccination database. You can register online or call the Minnesota Department of Health Public Hotline (open Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and can be reached at 1-833-431-2053) and Hotline staff will complete the form for you.
Understanding these incentives are not the most accessible, our team continues to seek additional incentive opportunities specifically focused on people experiencing homelessness that can be provided at the time the shot is received.
As we shared last week, the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness (MICH) is seeking the expertise of those who have lived experience of homelessness to join our team as paid consultants. We are working hard to finalize the details and application process, however, we are not quite ready to accept applications this week as we had hoped. Stay tuned for more information and thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Elizabeth Dressel and Sue Hite Kirk.
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The next webinar Speakers Bureau will be next Wednesday, November 3, at 1:00 p.m. There is still space to sign up to speak. Help us spread the word about this opportunity with the people you work with. Anyone who has lived experience of homelessness is welcome to sign-up to share through the Speakers Bureau. This will be open time each month for lived experience experts to share ideas and feedback with the webinar audience. All the details can be found on this flyer. The optional prep session will be held the Tuesday, November 2, from 3:00-3:30 p.m. Follow this link to join the optional prep session. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us or call Elizabeth at 651-248-5548 with any questions or to sign up to join the Speakers Bureau.
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has developed a new resource, A Response Guide for Staff and Vaccine Ambassadors to Address Questions and Building Confidence about the COVID-19 Vaccine. Check out this resource for messaging and responses to common questions and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine.
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In case you missed the CDC presentation on last week’s webinar, you can view the recording and download the slides.
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Join the weekly provider webinar today at 1:00 p.m. to hear updates from the state team and to get your questions answered. If you have not registered for the webinar,
If you have any questions about your registration, please email Elizabeth Dressel.
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