Vaccination Site to Give 1,500 Shots Monday at The DECC

DULUTH, Minn.– As the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine continues, Duluth will be getting a temporary boost in doses.

The Minnesota Department of Health has been opening up vaccination locations around the state, including one in Mountain Iron last month. Now, they’re going to have one in Duluth on Monday.

“Our goal here is to get as many Duluth residents and beyond vaccinated as possible,” said Shawn Baxley, VP of Field Operations for Vault Health.

The DECC won’t just be a testing site on Monday. It will also be a vaccination site. It will give the space for 1,500 registered people ages 65 and older to receive a shot from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. that day.

The effort is being led by the MDH and Vault Health, which has only one other site like it in the state to try and maximize vaccine distribution.

“The state has a registry where their citizens have registered. There was a randomized lottery that the state manages,” said Baxley. “However that machine works, they hand us the list and say, ‘Here are the people who are eligible now for the shot and we take it from there.”

Temperatures will be taken at the door before going to a vaccination station. Once a vaccine is given, patients will be taken to a waiting area where doctors and other healthcare workers will be on hand to answer any questions about the vaccine.

“When the state said ‘we’ve got vaccines, we’re ready for Duluth to come on board.’ and we were able to get immediately in that queue,” said Duluth Mayor Emily Larson.

The DECC continues to use their space as a saliva testing site for COVID-19 in the building’s South Pioneer Hall. Vaccinations will take place at Fitzgerald Hall.

“Two different entrances. The two groups stay separated which is really important,” said Roger Reinert, DECC Interim Executive Director.

Those with the DECC say it’s a huge opportunity to use their space with such an important task.

“One of the real benefits we have is that everybody knows the DECC, they know how to get here, they know we have a ton of parking, we’re easy to get to. So that’s a big benefit for us,” said Reinert.

The limited supply of doses means the site will only be open for one day. But the hope is that it can be used later when more shots become available.

“I think it shows that the state really cares about the health of greater Minnesota and that Duluth participates in the state’s overall health and overall economy. We know that the only way this pandemic ends is by getting to a herd immunity which has to involve vaccinations,” said Larson.

Those signed up for a vaccine appointment yesterday were also automatically signed up for a second dose in the coming weeks.

As vaccine rollout continues, those with vault health are still encouraging people to use COVID-19 testing sites like at the DECC. They add that testing numbers have been declining.