Minneapolis police begin COVID-19 vaccinations

The Minneapolis Police Department began vaccinating some of its employees against COVID-19 Monday on a voluntary basis.

An unspecified number of officers, including several high-ranking officials, lined up outside a site in south Minneapolis to receive the first of two shots meant to inoculate them against the deadly virus that has sickened more than 100 million people worldwide.

St. Paul police began their vaccine rollout last week.

Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder confirmed that vaccinations started on Monday, but said he was prohibited from sharing details because of medical privacy laws. The department has had 172 confirmed cases of the virus since last spring, he added.

Like other departments across the country, Minneapolis has said that immunization will not be compulsory for officers.

State officials said that 441,922 state residents had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Saturday, with 116,248 getting the recommended two shots needed to achieve full immunization. The second doses are administered three to four weeks after the initial shots.

The state has yet to announce who should get priority after senior citizens in the vaccination rollout, although initial federal guidance called for the next wave of vaccinations to include teachers as well as other essential front-line workers such as power-plant operators and police officers.

Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter: @StribJany