Sanford Health Moorhead is now vaccinating eligible patients in the high-risk 1-A priority group in the Moorhead Center Mall. Those eligible for shots are notified by email and telephone based on clinic records. No walk-ins are accepted.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
The supply of COVID-19 vaccine has been growing slowly in Clay County, but – says public health officer Kathy McKay – it still falls far short of the demand. Nevertheless, the outlook is encouraging.
McKay, a registered nurse, cites news from Gov. Tim Walz’s office that several retail pharmacy chains will be receiving thousands of additional doses this week. Until now, available doses have been limited to residents of long-term care and other group homes and specific front-line workers including those in health care, emergency medical services and other groups classified as 1-A in priority – as well as residents over the age of 75.
With the new allocations, that age limit drops to 65. The boost comes with the allocation of 16,000 extra doses to Walmart and Thrifty White pharmacies participating in the federal retail pharmacy program. In addition, Walgreens will receive 8,000 doses shortly.
As of this week, nursing director Jamie Hennen says, 6,580 Clay County residents have received at least one of the two doses required for immunity. (That total does not include those who may have been vaccinated by Sanford or Essentia clinics.) “That represents 10.5% of our population,” she points out. Minnesota’s statewide average is 10.1%. A total of 1,705 of those people have gotten both shots. Records show that 30.7% percent of those 65 and older have had at least one dose.
Like existing vaccination programs operated by Sanford and Essentia clinics and by Clay Public Health, all shots are offered only by appointment. Current patients of the two clinics are being notified through their MyChart online records, as well as by letter and telephone. The same approach is being used by the retailers with in-store pharmacies. To sign up, go to their websites and complete the online registration forms.
Sanford opened a vaccination center late last week in the Moorhead Center Mall. It is limited to those who already have been notified of their appointments. Like the site operated by Public Health itself, no walk-in patients are accepted.
As of this week, 10.5% of Clay County residents have received at least the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The majority are residents of group living facilities who are being treated by Walgreens and CVS. The public health agency has been inviting workers in high-contact professions to its vaccination events. Child-care workers and teachers have now been added to the priority list.
McKay acknowledges that some residents perceive that the roll-out is going faster on the Fargo side of the river. While not sure of how accurate that perception is, she suggests two reasons why it may be true: “There are no hospitals in Clay County, and they have been prioritized to receive vaccination,” she says. She speculates, too, that Fargo’s status as a regional hub may be partly responsible.
Nevertheless, Clay County is doing a good deal better than many Minnesota entities. “We’re in step with or a little ahead of the rest of the state,” she reports. “When we receive doses, we’re getting 100% of them out with 72 hours.