MDH Answers To Concerns From 65+ Community About COVID Vaccine Pace, Warns Of Scams

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As Minnesota Department of Health officials admitted that the vaccine supply, compared to the demand from 1 million Minnesota seniors, is a "drop in the bucket," confusion lingers as seniors and their loved ones try get appointments for the 35,000 shots available for Minnesotans over 65 years old this week.

Jeff Rauchbauer is among the many frustrated Minnesotans trying to get an appointment or even just some information about the availability of the vaccine.

"I tried calling the number today and it just hung up on me because it was too many people calling in," he said.

This week, the MDH unveiled a new interactive site where you can find clinics offering the shot. A Golden Valley clinic told us they were out of shots, a Moose Lake site said they have run through their supply of 300 vaccines, and a clinic in Minneapolis suggests "don't call us, we'll call you" if you are in their system.

Rauchbauer is like a lot of people who have contacted WCCO. They are under 65 but decided to jump in and help elderly relatives loved ones navigate the system and they are finding they are not having much luck.

Rauchbauer tried to get his elderly in-laws on the registration wait list that opened last week, but got the message that new names aren't being taken. He said the site said, "'It's not open, available now, and come back later.' And really no information there."

He tweeted his confusion directly to Gov. Tim Walz. WCCO's Esme Murphy asked that question at Tuesday's MDH briefing. WCCO asked, specifically, what should he know about that wait list, or if it even still exists.

The answer: it might open sometime soon.

"That wait list that was built over the last couple of weeks is not currently open. It may very well be opened again in the future," MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.

MDH officials again stressed patience.

"Nearly a million people are 65 and older in Minnesota. Until we get more vaccine it's going to continue to be really difficult to get an appointment," Kris Ehresmann, MDH Director of Infectious Disease, said.

That difficulty will continue -- the MDH is now estimating it will take 16 weeks to vaccinate all 918,000 Minnesotans over the age of 65.

The MDH also warned that, with the overwhelming demand and short supply, scams are popping up. The MDH says if you get a call with any of these scenarios its is a scam:

• Asking for your bank account, credit card or social security number,
• Trying to sell you the vaccine over the phone,
• Telling you you have to pay to get on a wait list, and
• Promising to ship you the vaccine.

Gov. Walz announced on Twitter Tuesday evening that the number of vaccine administrated daily in the state has doubled in the past week.

In:
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• COVID-19