REP. ALBRIGHT STATEMENT ON WALZ ADMIN VACCINE ANNOUNCEMENT
ST. PAUL, MN — Rep. Tony Albright, R-Prior Lake, Republican Lead on the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, issued the following statement regarding today's announcement that the Walz administration is broadening the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to broader categories of Minnesotans, including Minnesotans age 65 and older.
“This is a positive step that should help Minnesota ramp up distribution of the vaccine. The Walz administration should be employing every strategy available to deliver the vaccine to the largest number of vulnerable populations as quickly as possible. We remain concerned about reports of long-term care facilities and other high-priority facilities who have encountered vaccine distribution challenges, and hope that those will be resolved quickly.”
Senate Republicans held hearings this week to highlight challenges that long-term care facilities have faced in securing and administering vaccines for residents and staff. As of January 13, Minnesota had distributed 36% of vaccine doses supplied by the federal government, compared to neighboring states North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa at 74%, 58% and 47% respectively.