Minnesota state officials have announced a partnership that they say will help inform decisions to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced what they call a “groundbreaking” partnership between the State and the Minnesota Electronic Health Record r, or EHR.
The partnership, the first statewide effort of its kind, will track vaccination data by race and ethnicity. The data is now published on the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard where it will be updated weekly.
Walz and Flanagan say the data will help inform additional, targeted strategies to get the vaccine to all races and ethnicities, including the state’s indigenous communities.
As of late February, the data indeed shows a discrepancy between communities of color and White Minnesotans. While White Minnesotans make up 81.6% of the state’s population, slightly over 90% of those vaccinated so far are white.
“It is a concern. But I’m proud Minnesota is the first to get it out there. You’re going to see this across the country,” said Walz at a recent press conference that systemic inequities in health care is a contributing factor.
While the data will give state officials a clearer view of who is getting vaccinated, the data has its limitations due to inconsistencies or missing information on health records.
Minnesota’s health department has already been working with 38 community-based organizations to serve as COVID-19 community coordinators, to help get information on COVID-19 and vaccines to communities of color.
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