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COVID-19 update – April 15

Thursday, April 15 The state has identified 549,830 cases of COVID-19 as of today, with 524,290 of these patients no longer required to be isolated. 6,989 deaths have been reported. For more information on the current situation, visit the Minnesota Department of Health website.   At the bottom of this email, you will find Met Council workforce statistics related to COVID-19 leave that have been reported to the Employee Resource Center.    Do you have thoughts or concerns on the content or frequency of these COVID-19 update emails? We would love to hear your feedback through the online COVID-19 form, so we can make sure these emails are providing the most useful and timely information to staff.

At a glance

What you need to know this week:

• Minnesota is following the federal recommendation to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate very rare side effects.
• Changes to vaccine availability and access to appointments through other channels are impacting the Met Council's plan for onsite clinics.

• We are using our emergency notification system, which uses contact information from Employee Self Service, to notify employees of urgent opportunities to get the vaccine.

• A virtual event on April 20 from the YWCA will discuss why to take the vaccine, especially for communities of color, who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• Even if you are fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose), it is important to follow safety precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Read on for more about these updates.

Changes to vaccine availability affect onsite clinic plans

This past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that states pause administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, to investigate some very rare side effects.

As a result, our Met Council request for these one-dose vaccines for our onsite clinics will be delayed, as well. State officials are making appointments for two-dose vaccines available for our staff, and additional access to these opportunities will impact the demand for our own onsite clinics.

The Incident Command team sent an emergency notification to employees earlier this week with a survey about the vaccine, and we were able to accommodate most requests for appointments at available state-run vaccination sites. We anticipate additional appointments for Met Council employees in the coming weeks at state-run clinics, as well as with Dakota County and other county partners.

As a result, we may not need onsite clinics, since so many of you have accessed the vaccine through other channels.

If you do still need a vaccine appointment, and either weren’t able to get an appointment this week or you didn’t respond to the survey, please email Lisa Belland at Lisa.Belland@metc.state.mn.us so we can make sure you receive communications for available appointments.

We may also send another emergency notification to survey employees who weren’t able to respond to prior communications one more time in the next week or so. Please respond to this text or email right away – they are legitimate communications and require your urgent attention.

Update your ESS contact information to get vaccine notifications

We are using the Met Council’s emergency notification system to offer opportunities to schedule appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine.

• We will notify you by texting your mobile device, calling you by phone, and sending a message to your email. If you respond that you are available, we will follow up to connect you to the appointment. 
• Make sure you carefully read the instructions included in the message and reply to the notification correctly.
• We know scams are contacting people about COVID-19 vaccine opportunities, so please review our information on the senders of the texts, emails, and calls so you recognize our emergency notifications.
• These communications will be unique to you – please do not forward them to others.
• You must respond immediately or we will move on to other employees on the priority list.

The system uses contact information from Employee Self Service (ESS), so it’s very important that your contact information there is up to date. 

Review the full information about these notifications on MetNet.

Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities As of Tuesday (April 13), 2,162,665 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 1,488,116 people had completed the vaccine series. For up-to-date information on vaccine availability and distribution, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine dashboard.   Every Minnesotan 16 years of age and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state has directed providers to still prioritize vaccine appointments for people most at risk of getting COVID-19, or those who could develop severe illness if infected. Providers then have the flexibility to provide available appointments to other eligible Minnesotans.   These are some of the tools you can use to find vaccine appointments: Sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to get updates on vaccine opportunities and be entered into the random selection process for the state's Community Vaccination Program sites. Contact your healthcare provider, local pharmacy, or use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in your area. If you have a HealthPartners medical plan, make sure your contact information in your account is up to date. HealthPartners is contacting eligible patients to schedule a vaccination when they have appointments available. Learn more on the HealthPartners COVID-19 site. As part of M Health Fairview’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Efforts, they are prioritizing communities of color and indigenous communities that have experienced disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 during the pandemic. For an appointment, register through their COVID-19 Vaccine Screener. Make sure you're reading this weekly all-staff COVID-19 email to get the latest on vaccination opportunities, guidelines, and more. For more information about the vaccine and how to find an appointment, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine site.   You do not have to wait for information from the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector or the Met Council's emergency notification system before getting your shot. If your health care provider contacts you about making an appointment, or if you have another opportunity to get vaccinated, you can and should do that.

Virtual panel on April 20: Why should I take the COVID-19 vaccine

Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And these communities don’t necessarily see their concerns, interests, and needs reflected in the vaccine distribution plan and communications efforts. Join YWCA Minneapolis, YWCA St. Paul, and Children’s Minnesota for a special event to hear about the history of medical mistrust in communities of color, listen to candid personal stories about panelists’ choice on taking the vaccine, and learn science-based information to help make an informed decision on whether or not to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Why should I take the COVID-19 vaccine

Tuesday, April 20, 4 – 5 p.m.
Online, free
Register on ywcampls.org.

Stay vigilant to stop the spread of COVID-19

Millions of Minnesotans are still susceptible to COVID-19 infection and the health impacts that can go with it. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) stresses that it is important to continue to follow all public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 even after you have been fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose).

• Continue to wear a mask that fits well and stay at least 6 feet away from other people whenever you are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.
• Wash your hands often.
• Stay home if you are sick, especially if you have been around someone who has COVID-19. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested.
• Do not visit people who have had close contact to someone with COVID-19 and are in quarantine.
• Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
• Delay unnecessary domestic or international travel.
• Follow guidance specific to your workplace.

Learn more about the guidelines for fully vaccinated people on the MDH website.

At the Met Council, policies on physical distancing, wearing face coverings, and staying home if you experience symptoms have not changed.

Check the MetNet pages, FAQs

For the most current information related to the COVID-19 outbreak, visit the MetNet page and be sure to review the FAQs for staff and managers. They are updated as we have new information to communicate.

For Metro Transit work instructions and daily updates on new COVID-19 cases reported at each worksite, visit the Metro Transit MetNet page. For job aids and facilities updates for Environmental Services related to COVID-19, visit the Environmental Services page.

If you have questions, talk to your manager or supervisor or submit a question or concern in the online COVID-19 form.

Check out the latest issues of our internal newsletters: April 9 Insights (Transit) and April 15 HR Connect. 

For those who cannot easily access MetNet and/or would like a printable PDF of the FAQs, here are the most recent versions of these pages:

• Employee FAQ: April 15 (PDF)
• Manager FAQ: April 15 (PDF)
  
  

Met Council workforce statistics

The following statistics related to COVID-19 have been reported to the Employee Resource Center. The "active positive COVID-19" number is the number of employees who currently have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The "cumulative" number marks the total number of employees who received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis since the pandemic began. The second table breaks down the positive cases by division for Community Development (CD), Environmental Services (ES), Metro Transit (MT), Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS), and Regional Administration (RA).

Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis (April 15):

Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis by division (April 15*):

*These division numbers are reported weekly. These tables reflect changes week over week.