Karen Newman

The Clay County Commission responded with concern Tuesday to a story in The Forum Jan. 12 headlined “Clay County’s vaccination rate against Covid-19 ranks last in Minnesota.”

Commissioner David Ebinger said, “I was concerned after the article came out.  As is often the case, the headline is meant to draw your eye to the article, and does not reflect what the article actually says.”

Ebinger expressed his satisfaction with Clay County Public Health saying that the department is ready to do vaccinations and has made all the arrangements to disperse them. He continued, “We are ready to go full-steam. The holdup is getting the vaccine. The governor is frustrated. He’s expressed his frustration. I think locally we are frustrated.”

Indicating that she, too, felt a county government response was important after the Forum article was published, Commissioner Jenny Mongeau lauded McKay and her department, “I want the public to know that your team is really doing an amazing job.  We have been in meetings since July in terms of vaccine rollout. We are ready to vaccinate as many people as we can.  The holdup seems to be the amount of vaccine that you are getting, and, as you said, we don’t currently have anything. We have given all the vaccines that we received.” 

Mongeau expressed her opinion that many Minnesota citizens have been vaccinated in North Dakota and are not counted in the Minnesota numbers that were mentioned in the Forum news article. She emphasized the importance of the Clay County Commission advocating for additional vaccine doses from the federal government and the state. “It is imperative that as one of the top three fastest growing metro areas in the state of Minnesota, we receive vaccinations that are reflective upon that population growth.”

Responding to the commissioners’ statements of support, Public Health Director Kathy McKay announced, “The Minnesota Health Care Coalition Coordinator offered us some Pfizer vaccine.” McKay noted that the Pfizer vaccine must be stored in ultra-cool temperatures, so the coalition allocated it to hospitals with that storage capability.  Efforts by the Clay County CARES Act group to purchase ultra-cool freezers found none available.  Clay County, with no hospitals, didn’t qualify for coalition funds, until the coordinator contacted McKay who accepted the offer.

 In summer and early fall, as they planned for their vaccination response, Public Health team member Josh Ebert worked to locate potential ultra-cool storage sites. A local clinic, with access to ultra-cool storage, volunteered to coordinate with public health to store Pfizer vaccine and partner with the department to administer the additional Pfizer doses that should arrive late in the week of 1-18-21. Clay County Public Health Department and their partners will now be able to administer Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as they arrive.

Jamie Hennen, Public Health Director of Nursing, said that the Minnesota Health Department and Governor Walz announced that 60,000 weekly doses of Covid-19 vaccine are arriving in Minnesota which has a population of 5.6 million. She explained, “That is just 1% of the supply needed.  That’s what we’re dealing with.”

She reminded citizens that due to vaccine shortages, it is important to continue to follow safety guidelines by masking, maintaining a safe distance and avoiding large crowds. McKay informed the commission that Vitalent is still looking for people who have recovered from Covid to donate convalescent plasma.

Commissioner Mongeau assured McKay and Hennen that the commission realizes the stress that the Covid crisis has put on the Public Health Department. 

“Anything the commission can do to help, we’re here.” Commissioner Ebinger concluded.