Minneapolis Convention Center Is Latest Mass Vaccine Location
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of Minnesotans will soon be vaccinated for COVID-19 inside the Minneapolis Convention Center. Ballroom A will be the newest vaccination site for people 65 and older, among others.
Vault Health is the team behind the new site. Their plan is to vaccinate 9,500 people over the course of 3 days every week, starting Thursday, February 4.
Vault Health also runs the saliva COVID testing just down the hall within the convention center and that daily testing will continue to happen while vaccines are distributed.
Right now, this site is invite only for people over 65, educators and child care providers.
Every Wednesday, people who pre-registered with MDH will be pulled off the waitlist and assigned to this vaccination site. If you are not selected on a Wednesday, you could still get a call from MDH later in the week to get your vaccination if they have extra doses, which tends to be the case.
"It's really my passion to be a community servant," said Candace Graunke, one of more than 40 nurses hired to administer vaccines at this new site, "and in the face of a pandemic, this is really the best place I could be."
Hiring and paying healthcare workers from Minnesota was an important piece of this new vaccination site.
"Our goal was to get Minnesotans back to work," said Shawn Baxley with Vault Health.
Parking for the convention center vaccine site will be at the underground, heated garage on 2nd Ave., across the street from the main entrance to the convention center. After you get your shot, you'll get a voucher that will let you exit the ramp for free.
Details on another vaccination site to open in Duluth are forthcoming. Another site will eventually open in southern Minnesota, but an exact location hasn't been announced yet.
