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Minnesota Department of Health

September 30, 2021

Minnesota News and Outreach

Booster Shots

Following the CDC Statement on ACIP Booster Recommendations, booster shots are available to Minnesotans who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as their primary series and fall under one of the following categories. 

Health officials recommend you get a Pfizer booster shot at least 6 months after your second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine if you:

• Are 65 years of age or older.
• Live in a long-term care facility.
• Are 50-64 years old with certain underlying medical conditions (refer to CDC: People with Certain Medical Conditions).

Additionally, you can get a Pfizer booster shot at least 6 months after your second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine if you are:

• 18-49 years old and at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease because of certain underlying medical conditions (refer to CDC: People with Certain Medical Conditions).
• 18-64 years and at increased risk for getting COVID-19 disease because of where you live or work (e.g., frontline medical workers, educators and child care personnel, first responders).
• Talk to your health care provider about your risk and the need for a booster dose.

Officials are still reviewing data from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson and will decide when recipients will be eligible for a booster. Even though people who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not eligible for a booster shot yet, research shows the vaccines are still highly effective at preventing severe illness and death.

If you are eligible to get a booster shot, refer to Find Vaccine Locations.

More details will be coming from CDC on booster doses. You can also find information on CDC: Who Is Eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot?

Community Vaccination Updates

Mall of America Site

To continue making it easier for families, 12–17-year-olds, and workers to get vaccinated, the state’s COVID-19 community vaccination site at the Mall of America is accepting appointments and walk-ins for booster doses, in addition to first and second doses.

The Mall of America site has the capacity to administer 500 doses per day and is open Wednesday-Friday from 1 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site is located on Level 2, Southeast Court inside Mall of America. Appointments can be made at Mall of America Community Vaccination.

The site is is administering the Pfizer vaccine to eligible individuals age 12 and up. Parent or guardian consent is required for individuals age 12 through 17.

Vaccine Clinic at Twin Cities Con

The state will host a Twin Cities Con vaccination clinic at the Minneapolis Convention Center on October 3. Each Minnesotan who receives a vaccine at the Twin Cities Con clinic will receive 25% off admission to Twin Cities Con 2022. In addition to first and second doses, boosters will also be administered to eligible Minnesotans.

The pop-up clinic is located in the Mezzanine of the Minneapolis Convention Center, and it will be open for vaccinations on October 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The site is administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. Minnesotans aged 12 and older are eligible for vaccination. No admission ticket is required for vaccination and walk-ups are welcome.

Mobile Vaccination Units

The COVID-19 mobile vaccination unit project that aims to reduce barriers and help increase equitable access to vaccination has been extended. The units were successful and over the spring and summer: from April through August, six mobile vaccination units administered over 7,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine during 170 unique clinics in 42 counties across the state.

Two of the mobile vaccination units will remain in use through MDH’s community vaccination program. The program is also looking into ways to use the buses to provide other routine vaccines in the future. Communities or organizations can get more information about requesting a vaccination event on the MDH website: Host a Community COVID-19 Vaccination Event.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Materials

We are adding new videos, print materials, and translated documents often. Check out the pages below to view, download, or print these resources.

Materials and Resources for COVID-19 Response Videos for COVID-19 Response

The situation is changing rapidly. Visit Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for the most up-to-date information and follow MDH on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram to stay informed.

What's New

COVID-19 Testing

Testing remains critical to keeping our communities safe as our students and educators have returned to school and more activities continue to move inside as the weather turns colder.

• Even if you are vaccinated, Minnesotans should get tested:
  • if you have symptoms of the virus;
  • if you have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19;
  • if you are returning from international travel;
  • or if you have attended a large gathering or event where people are not wearing masks and are not able to stay 6 feet apart.
• People who are unvaccinated should test before travel (domestic or international).
• Unvaccinated teachers, staff, and students in K-12 should test weekly at a minimum or more frequently per CDC guidance.
• Learn more about who should get tested at COVID-19 Testing.

By continually reassessing current and projected testing needs, the state will continue to ensure every Minnesotan has access to the free testing they deserve to keep their families and communities safe.

• COVID-19 Community Testing Sites
  Walk in or make an appointment at one of the 11 community testing sites
• COVID-19 Vault Saliva Testing at Home
  Saliva test sent to your home through Vault
• Find Testing Locations
  Testing at local providers, pharmacies, and clinics

COVID-19 Stories of Community Outreach and Partnership

COVID-19 Stories of Community Outreach and Partnership highlight the efforts of our staff in collaboration with community partners during the COVID-19 response. Some stories provide insight into how this work is done, others discuss what challenges our teams face, but all of them recognize how COVID-19 has pushed MDH to try new strategies so we can fulfill our mission of protecting, maintaining, and improving the health of all Minnesotans.

Phyllis Wheatley: A cornerstone for COVID-19 support in the community

Since its founding, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center has been a safe haven for the African American community. At the beginning of the pandemic, Phyllis Wheatley started hosting testing events as well as connecting community members with basic resources such as housing and food assistance through its COVID-19 Hotline. In 2021, when COVID-19 vaccines were more plentiful, Phyllis Wheatley transitioned to supporting vaccination clinics. They registered community members for vaccination or helped them find accessible locations to get vaccinated.

Phyllis Wheatley recently started a new community engagement strategy where outreach specialist teams went door-to-door through the neighborhood to address misinformation and engage with community members without access to technology. Phyllis Wheatley continues to prioritize meeting people where they are at and removing as many barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination as they can. Read more: Phyllis Wheatley: A cornerstone for COVID-19 support in the community

Guidance and Resources

NEW:

• About COVID-19 Vaccine: Booster shots

• Phyllis Wheatley: A cornerstone for COVID-19 support in the community

• Get Tested for COVID-19 in Schools: General (PDF)
  Fillable flyer for school testing information.
• Get Tested for COVID-19 in Schools: Saliva Testing (PDF)
  Fillable flyer for school saliva testing information.
• COVID-19 Testing Hours in Schools (PDF)
  Replace the sample text in the document with your school testing day and hours information.

UPDATED:

• About COVID-19

• If You Are Sick or Test Positive

• COVID-19 Testing

• COVID-19 Vault Saliva Testing at Home

• What to Do While You Wait for a COVID-19 Test Result
• Cue COVID-19 Test
• COVID-19 Medication Options
• Therapeutic Options for COVID-19 Patients

• Ethical Framework for Allocation of Monoclonal Antibodies during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF)

• About COVID-19 Vaccine
• Interim COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Guide (PDF)
• Appendix A: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (PDF)
• Best Practice Recommendations: Schools
• Best Practices for Handling a Confirmed Case of COVID-19 (PDF)
• COVID-19 Testing During the 2021-22 School Year
• Vault Testing Information (PDF)
• COVID-19 Organized Sports Recommendations (PDF)
• Long-term Care COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Plan (PDF)

• Considerations for SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Acute Care Facilities (PDF)

• COVID-19 Recommendations for Health Care Workers (PDF)
• Responding to and Monitoring COVID-19 Exposures in Health Care Settings (PDF)

• Potential Exposure to Patients with COVID-19 in Inpatient Settings Including Emergency Departments (PDF)

• Potential Exposure to COVID-19 in Outpatient Settings Excluding Emergency Departments (PDF)
• Information for Health Care Workers with Low-risk COVID-19 Exposure (PDF)
• Information for Health Care Workers with High-risk COVID-19 Exposure (PDF)

NOTE: Look for an "Updated" date below guidance links on our website to know when the resource was last revised.

MDH COVID-19 Public Hotline

For questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, call:

1-833-431-2053

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Minnesota Department of Health  |  health.mn.gov

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