“Seniors 1st,” a plan that urges Governor Walz to place seniors as the first priority in his updated vaccination plans, was introduced today at the Minnesota Senate. The Governor today announced that 35,000 doses of the COVID vaccine would be sent to 100 additional sites across the state, allocated specifically for seniors. It was also announced the nine pilot sites throughout the state will be decreased to three under the Governor’s updated plan.
“We have to start putting our seniors first,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia). “Our seniors are at the highest risk for hospitalization, illness, and death from COVID. We need to step up and make sure any senior that wants the vaccine has access to it. Seniors need to be the priority.”
As of February 1, there have been over 6,000 COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota. Of those, 90% have been attributed to seniors 65 and older. The state has distributed more than 444,000 vaccines, yet only 25% have been allocated to Minnesotans 65 and older. The “Seniors 1st” plan would move towards blanketing the entire states with vaccine sites through community pharmacies who are already equipped to store, schedule, and administer vaccinations.
“There’s no reason we can’t get these vaccines directly to our seniors,” continued Senator Lang. “Our communities already have pharmacies and doctors that are equipped to distribute vaccines. We need to stop holding up the process—Governor Walz needs to stop claiming he’s prioritizing seniors until he’s ready to prove so with his actions.”