Looking to get the vaccine? Try signing up in more than one place
Local health leaders are encouraging residents recently made eligible for a vaccine to sign up wherever they can — whether that be through the state, their provider, the public health department and/or a pharmacy — and then take the first appointment that becomes available.
The reasoning is that the various vaccine sign-up systems are not connected, leading to a patchwork of enrollment options.
As a result, vaccines could become available through one source, though registrants may not be notified unless they have signed up through that specific platform. For instance, enrolling through a provider does not mean a person will be notified about availability at a pharmacy, and vice versa.
In a news conference Wednesday, Olmsted County Public Health Director Graham Briggs acknowledged the shortcomings of the hodgepodge approach, adding that there are conversations happening behind the scenes about how to tie the various platforms together.
“That’s a technological challenge that [the platforms] are not talking together,” said Briggs.
To ensure community members are notified of their next available opportunity to get vaccinated, Briggs recommends eligible individuals diversify where they register — and then whomever they hear from first regarding an open appointment, go there to get the vaccine.
“That may be from your work and Public Health, that may be from your provider, and that may be through the state site or your local pharmacy,” said Briggs. “And while I know that’s not necessarily what the public wants to hear, that’s the best piece of advice I can give the public — go ahead and sign up in multiple places, if possible.”
This week, the state expanded vaccine eligibility to its next phase of high-risk individuals. The latest guidelines give priority to people with specific underlying medical conditions, those with rare conditions and disabilities, and essential food processing workers.
With vaccine distribution picking up, the state is also simultaneously expanding access to adults 45 and older with one qualifying condition, people 16 to 44 with two qualifying conditions, and frontline workers such as police officers, food servers, and postal carriers.
To date, 31.6 of Olmsted County residents — including 75 percent of individuals over 65 — have received at least one vaccine dose.
Where to sign up for a vaccine
The state’s Vaccine Connector: Signing up through this platform allows Minnesotans to be notified when they are eligible to receive a vaccine and get connected to resources to schedule an appointment.
Mayo Clinic has created a website for people who do not regularly receive care at Mayo to sign up to be notified via text when they are eligible to schedule a vaccine at the Clinic.
Olmsted County Public Health is encouraging business owners and managers to sign up through a form on its website. This is critical as workers in a wide range of industries become vaccine eligible.
Pharmacies such as Hy-Vee and Walgreens allow eligible vaccine candidates to make appointments directly through their websites.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
Cover photo courtesy the Mayo Clinic News Network
