Doctors Encouraging Everyone To ‘Get In Line’ for COVID Vaccine

(KNSI) – Medical experts ask all Minnesotans to get ready to be vaccinated over the coming months as eligibility greatly expands starting Tuesday.

Chief Quality Officer for MHealth Fairview Dr. Abraham Jacob says the vaccine is the fastest and safest way to get back to normal.

“On a personal note, I want to say that just two months ago, I couldn’t hug my 86-year-old dad or 82-year-old mom, today I can. It is a remarkable story for all of us who have that privilege to be vaccinated.”

Minnesota has vaccinated 80% of its people 65 and older and at least two in every three educators, school staff, and childcare workers.

Dr. Jacob says right now is the time to get vaccinated before different COVID-19’s mutations sicken more people.

“In our hospitalized patients, the average age is shifted from the 60s down to the 50s. And frankly, that’s because they haven’t been vaccinated yet. So that tells us that these vaccines are working. Just the point of caution, this is a race against the variants. What we have seen as uptake in our hospitalizations in the last few weeks”.

Minnesota has more than 525 cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant and ten other cases of another variant strain of the virus.

The vaccine eligibility expansion comes as Minnesota’s weekly allotment of vaccine is set to double to around 424,000 doses in early April.

To get registered for a vaccine, click here.

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