Gov. Walz To Announce Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Plan: Livestream

TWIN CITIES, MN — Gov. Tim Walz Tuesday will announce the details of Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. Walz will be joined by Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann, and Dr. Jill Amsberry.

Patch will carry a livestream of the 1:30 p.m. news conference.

Following the vaccine announcement, Walz and officials from the Minnesota Department of Revenue will answer questions about the state's budget.

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What we already know about the COVID-19 vaccine

Minnesota healthcare workers, especially those who care for patients with coronavirus, will be first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine when its formally approved by the federal government and arrives in the state.

"We now know that there is light at the end of this tunnel, especially with the vaccines coming, and coming soon," Kris Ehresmann, Director of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at the Minnesota Department of Health, said at a news conference Nov. 30.

The state must follow the phased allocation plan established by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Here's what that rollout will look like:

Phase 1a:

• Healthcare workers

Phase 1b:

• Essential workers

Phase 1c:

• Adults with high-risk medical conditions
• Adults who are 65 or older

In addition to their local hospitals, Minnesotans will be able to get the vaccine at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.

More than 4,000 deaths

Monday marked yet another grim milestone amid the coronavirus as Minnesota's death toll passed 4,000. There were 21 COVID-19 deaths reported Monday, bringing the state's overall toll to 4,005.

More than 1,000 people died in November. More than 400 additional deaths were recorded from Dec. 1 through Dec. 7.