The third committee deadline is scheduled for this Friday, April 9. This is the deadline for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills. Following this deadline, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will be reviewing budget bills to pass them onto the House and Senate floors.

Minnesota Department of Health Briefing

This afternoon, officials from the Minnesota Department of Health conducted a media briefing with reporters to update the public on the spread of COVID-19 and discuss COVID-19 vaccination.

Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Department of Health

• Commissioner Malcolm reported 3,014 new cases of COVID-19. However, this total is actually a two-day total that accounts for both Sunday and Monday combined due to the Easter holiday. This total also includes 600 cases that were caught up in a backlog of reporting. The state’s total number of COVID-19 cases is now 530,662.
• The commissioner noted that cases have been going up for the past 25 days and that Minnesotans need to pull together to reverse that trend.
• Just under 30,000 COVID-19 tests were processed for Sunday and Monday.
• Currently, 497 patients are hospitalized for COVID-19 with 114 of those in the ICU. Bed use is up 40% in the last 10 days.
• Four more Minnesotans died due to COVID-19. The state’s total number of COVID-19 deaths is now 6,889.
• The seven-day COVID-19 test positivity average is 6.0% – jumping a whole percentage point in a week and shows signs of continuing to climb.
• The state is nearing three million total vaccine doses administered (first and second doses). Minnesota will likely cross the three million mark in the next day or so.
• 1,840,000 Minnesotans have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• 1,190,000 Minnesotans have had the complete vaccination series
• Commissioner Malcolm concluded her opening remarks by saying, “We need to win the race between the vaccine and variants. Our case numbers are going up so we need to look for creative ways to keep vaccinations going up faster. We also need Minnesotans to recognize they have a really big role to play in helping us buy time we need to get vaccines delivered to people. The pandemic isn’t over. There are still people getting sick and people needing hospitalization and people dying. Thanks to the focus on vaccination for impact and prioritizing the most vulnerable Minnesotans through vaccines, we have reason to hope that the case growth we’re seeing now won’t lead to us a spike as terrible as the one we had in November and December, but we need to keep up our guard to assure that does not happen. Most Minnesotans are still not vaccinated. That means there are still millions of people who are susceptible to illness from this virus. We very much need people to stick with what works. That bridge to vaccination that we’ve been talking about for months – that includes masking, social distancing, staying home when you’re sick, and getting tested when you feel that you may have been exposed or you’re increasing your level of activity in the community. At some point hopefully in not-too-distant future, we won’t need that bridge anymore because there will be so many people vaccinated that the virus can’t sufficiently spread in our communities, but we are not there yet. We’re asking people to continue to focus on those protective actions for a few more weeks to get us that time that we need.”

Dr. Ruth Lynfield, State Epidemiologist

• Dr. Lynfield provided an update on COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials for younger individuals:
• The Pfizer trials on those 12 to 15 years of age showed outstanding efficacy and safety. Pfizer has begun trials in those 2-11 years of age and plans are being made for those as young as 6-month-old.
• Moderna has finished its enrollment for clinical trials for those 12-17 years of age and has expanded trials down to 6 months of age.
• Johnson & Johnson is planning to study the vaccine in children 12-18 years of age.
• When asked about the demographics of those admitted to the hospital and those dying from COVID-19, Dr. Lynfield responded that the average age for hospitalization is dropping. Between March 23 and March 29, the average age was 57. Previously it had been 65. The median age for death has dropped to 78 in March from 83.

State, FEMA Announce Federally-Supported Vaccination Site at Minnesota State Fairgrounds

Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that Minnesota will receive a federal Community Vaccination Clinic, following the Governor’s request for a fully-supplied mass vaccination site to augment the state’s vaccination efforts. The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive 168,000 doses over eight weeks. The site will administer a combination of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses, which will result in over 100,000 total people being vaccinated during the eight-week period. The doses administered at the Fairgrounds will be in addition to Minnesota’s regular statewide vaccine allocations.

Minnesotans living in the zip codes near the Fairgrounds with the highest scores on the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index will be eligible for appointments at this site. Up to 1,000 doses per day will also be taken offsite to community-based clinics in high Social Vulnerability Index areas.

“We’ve been pushing for a federal vaccination site, and I’m grateful the Biden-Harris Administration delivered on my request,” said Governor Walz. “I appreciate having such strong federal partners to work with as we set and achieve ambitious goals to vaccinate Minnesotans as equitably and efficiently as possible. This site will help us protect some of the Minnesotans hardest hit by this pandemic as we continue to break down every barrier between each Minnesotan and their life-saving shot.”

Governor Walz pushed for a federal site to provide additional vaccine doses to Minnesota and serve as another avenue to protect the most vulnerable and underrepresented populations in the state. The Minnesota State Fairgrounds were recommended by Minnesota public health officials and selected by FEMA based on equity data analysis, including the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. The Fairgrounds are well known, centrally located, accessible by public transportation, and expansive enough to allow for a high volume of drive-through vaccinations. The site will also allow Minnesotans who use other forms of transportation to get vaccinated.

“Our strategy from the beginning has been to immunize for impact and to protect those most at risk for the worst outcomes as quickly as possible. We are fortunate the Biden-Harris Administration also values that strategy,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “This site is a welcome addition to our expanding efforts to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines. We want each and every Minnesotan to know we see you, we have your back, and we will make sure you can easily and safely get your shot.”

Vaccinations will begin at the Fairgrounds on April 14 and serve Minnesotans living in the highest Social Vulnerability Index zip codes near the Fairgrounds. Appointments will be available to Minnesotans 16 years of age and older who live in the following zip codes in Ramsey and Hennepin County: 55454, 55103, 55130, 55411, 55404, 55117, 55428, 55119, 55107, 55106, 55407, 55430, 55412, 55102, 55429, 55421, 55104, 55114, 55432, 55118, 55420, 55413, 55402, 55109, 55406, 55423, 55415, 55405, 55408, 55425, 55112, 55111, 55403, 55101, 55344, 55435, 55113, 55458.

The site will be by appointment only. Minnesotans living in the zip codes listed above can sign up for the Vaccine Connector to be selected for an appointment. Minnesotans can call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053 for language assistance and any questions about signing up for the Connector. More information on directly booking appointments through a call center will be shared next week.

“We’re proud to work with the whole federal family, and the state of Minnesota, to open this federal vaccination site at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The site will greatly expand and expedite vaccine to the most underserved and vulnerable populations,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This site will provide 3,000 doses a day of the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals in historically underserved communities, a significant step toward ending the pandemic for Minnesotans and the nation.”

The site will be allocated 3,000 doses per day, seven days a week, for eight weeks. While the site will be supported by FEMA, it will be run by the State of Minnesota like the other eight Community Vaccination sites currently operating in Oakdale, Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington, Saint Paul, St. Cloud, and Mankato.

There will be no cost and Minnesotans will not need to provide an ID or medical insurance to be vaccinated.

Amos A. Briggs | Government Relations
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