Mayo Officials Concerned Over Limited Doses of COVID Vaccine

ROCHESTER -- As shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine continue to make their way to health care facilities in the state, there is some concerns about how much vaccine Minnesota has received.

Amy Williams is the Executive Dean of Mayo Clinic Practice, she says while they have been able to vaccinate about 6% of their workforce, they have heard vaccines are being given to health care workers not directly working with COVID patients.

They are hearing from colleagues around the state, and other states, that they are getting vaccinated even if they have roles that don't expose them on a regular basis to COVID-19 patients or don't put them at the same high risk of being exposed as some of our staff.

Williams says they have reached out to the appropriate channels about getting more doses of the vaccine.

She says despite the approval of the Moderna vaccine, it's believed it will not be going to health care workers, but rather long-term care facilities.

Right now in Minnesota, the Moderna vaccine is earmarked not for health care organizations, but more for other units that are going to be vaccinating those at risk in our communities such as long-term care facilities.

She says Mayo Clinic has the ability to vaccinate 10,000 employees a week if the quantity of vaccine is available.

Williams says while employees are lining up waiting to take the COVID vaccine, it could be February before all staff working on COVID units are vaccinated.

Last week Mayo received an initial shipment of over 2,000 doses of the vaccine.