St. Cloud VA Nears 5,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered

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(KNSI) – As 2021 continues, more and more people are getting vaccinated for COVID-19. So far, the St. Cloud VA Medical Center has administered thousands of vaccines.

“Between our staff and all of the veteran vaccinations we’ve provided, we’re up to about 4,800 that have been put into arms through the VA system at this time,” says St. Cloud VA chief of pharmacy JD Anderson.

Anderson spoke with KNSI’s Bob Hughes on Monday and said the center used its initial Moderna COVID-19 doses for its community living center’s residents and staff. Now, eligibility is open to outpatient veterans, especially those in certain risk groups.

“We’ve been prioritizing patients 85 and above,” Anderson said, “and then [veterans] in certain clinical categories, such as those on dialysis, those that are actively receiving chemotherapy or who have had a transplant, those with spinal cord injury and then our homeless outreach program.”

Eligible veterans will be notified by mail to make an appointment with the St. Cloud VA when it’s their turn. With the vaccine administration set-up at the center, Anderson says they can vaccinate 11 to 12 people every 15 minutes.

“We have a system and a flow that we feel comfortable with,” Anderson said. “In the event that we receive more vaccines, we can up-ramp that pretty quickly.”

Anderson says that the St. Cloud VA will end up vaccinating more than 20,000 people, estimating that 60 to 70 percent of the approximately 38,000 veterans it serves will want to get vaccinated.

So far, the vaccine’s temporary side effects are nothing out of the ordinary.

“The data is demonstrating vaccine side effects occurring — usually pretty mild, very similar to flu shots: a sore arm, oftentimes a mild fever or some chills and some fatigue,” Anderson said.

He adds that when veterans get a COVID-19 vaccine, they receive information about what side effects are common and what they can do to treat those mild symptoms.