Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has announced that the statewide “Roll Up Your Sleeves, MN” vaccine outreach campaign will be focusing on “critical frontline workforce sectors” in manufacturing.
Earlier in April, the campaign kicked off with food service industry workers. Over the following weeks, other priority frontline sectors will be vaccinated at community vaccination sites.
State officials say Minnesota’s 8,270 manufacturing companies had to “re-tool” assembly lines and workplace environments during the pandemic, in order to keep the state’s economy afloat and provide goods people rely on.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said these workers maintained a critical food supply, and worked in high-risk settings since the beginning of the pandemic. Peterson says that’s why the state owes it to them to make sure they can be vaccinated as quickly and easily as possible.
To schedule an appointment, manufacturing employees are asked to register in the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector so they can get their spot in line. That’s at vaccineconnector.mn.gov
Over 50% of eligible Minnesotans have now received at least one vaccine dose and more than one-third of the eligible population has completed their vaccine series. Over 85% of people 65 years of age and up have gotten at least one dose, too.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 community coordinators, working with the state’s health department, continue efforts to get vaccine information and other resources to the state’s diverse communities, including help with transportation, housing and language barriers during the pandemic.
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