Rice County Public Health Director Deb Purfeerst told the Board of Commissioners today it's the perfect time for farmers to get their COVID vaccinations.

A news release was issued by the department announcing appointments are available for any Rice County resident involved in agriculture.  A portion of that news release is provided below:

"Rice County Public Health is inviting Rice County area residents involved in the agriculture industry to a Moderna COVID vaccination clinic on Wednesday March 24th at the Rice County Government Services Building, 320 NW 3rd Street, Faribault.  YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND!

The registration link and more information can be found on the Rice County Public Health website at https://www.co.rice.mn.us/528/COVID-19-VACCINE-INFORMATION

Appointments are limited – once the clinic is filled, the registration link will be closed.

This is a great time for farmers to get vaccinated prior to Spring fieldwork!

If you have problems registering online, call Rice County Public Health at 507.332.5902 or 507.332.5931.

Purfeerst provided a COVID-19 update for the county board.  She pointed out Rice County is tops in the state for lab test rate attributing it to extensive testing at the State Correctional Facility in Faribault and the colleges in Northfield.

The Rice County Public Health Director revealed 87.9 percent of the Rice County population of people 65 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine while the state percentage is 78.9 percent.

Purfeerst encourages people to get their COVID vaccination when they are eligible regardless of brand.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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