COVID In Minnesota: Tips For Finding A Booster Shot And Avoiding Long Lines
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Not waiting on the federal government to act, Minnesota is making way for people who want a vaccine booster to get one.
"People are able to get in fairly quickly if they know where to look," Winnie Williams said.
Williams is one of several who run Vaccine Hunters, a website that helps people connect with the vaccine they need.
She says word of Minnesota giving the green light for 18 plus to get a booster is causing many to seek help from the website.
"In practice, most places right now after what they said are giving a booster to anyone who wants. CVS and Walgreens are certainly big players in the game, but they are booking further out, I think, because people think of them as pharmacies where you can get a vaccine," Williams said.
She says if you want to get a booster in the next couple of days, you need to look beyond CVS and Walgreens.
"Cub foods is a really big player," Williams said. "There are a lot of Cub Foods that are taking walk-ins."
Walk-ins are welcome in at least eight locations across the metro.
"People have been successful doing some same-day appointments...at places like Costco or a Sam's [Club] or a Walmart," Williams said. "Again, places that have pharmacies that people don't always think of."
Dr. Mark Sannes, an infectious disease expert with HealthPartners, says getting the booster can help keep the most vulnerable out of the ER and ICU.
"The group that is getting the booster vaccine right now is that group that is seeing breakthrough infections, right. So, up until now, 65 and over, other medical conditions that put them at risk, even though they did everything right and got vaccinated, they are starting to see their immunity want a little bit from that early vaccine and that's why that group needs to get out there and get boosted now," Sannes said.
Community Care Clinics of Minnesota takes walk-ins from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. HealthPartner clinics can also be a resource.