ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A mass vaccination clinic COVID-19 at Rochester Community and Technical College started Friday afternoon. Its 2,300 available doses were directed to priority group 1A3; covering domestic group employees, dental offices and health professionals and educators who have not yet been vaccinated.
Local health leaders say they managed to do the clinic thanks to an increase in doses of COVID-19 this week.
“For the first time since the vaccine was available, we were able to get enough doses for a mass clinic,” said Dan Jensen, head of response operations for COVID Public Health in Olmsted County.
Between Friday and Saturday, some 2,300 Olmsted County employees will pass through the doors of the RCTC country house to get vaccinated. Jensen says his team has the capacity to administer around 260 vaccines an hour.
“This is a real asset, and for the RCTC to invite us to do this is incredible for us,” said Jensen. “We asked the state to come down and take a walk with us a few months ago and they said this is one of, if not the best facility to make a mass clinic in the state of Minnesota.”
Although the KTTC teams were unable to see the game in real time, it is clear that Jensen and his team found out everything.
“We are able to keep everyone’s social distance. It is indicative for the community, ”he said. “It’s the partnerships we have, the planning we’ve been doing for a long time, our experiences with H1N1 back in the day, all of these experiences are coming to the fore.”
It is not clear how long the mass vaccination clinic will last. Jensen says vaccine doses are a moving target.
“We don’t know how many doses we will have in the next week, but our goal is to build systems,” he said. “Now that we can understand that, if we have a certain number of doses, we can move to another mass vaccination clinic.”
It is clear, however, how Jensen and his team got to this point.
“We are here, we want to help,” said Jensen. “How can we help? This is the collaboration we have.”
This success is due to Olmsted County and the people who live in it.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the way this community comes together and does things as a community to support the health and well-being of individuals in this community,” added Jensen.
Those eligible to be vaccinated at the mass clinic will be contacted.
This clinic is separate from the two state-run semi-permanent clinics located in Duluth and Minneapolis. State health officials say a third location will open next week in southern Minnesota. The location has not yet been determined. Jensen says that if the state wanted to work with county officials, they would gladly accept.