Some Minnesota health care providers large and small are questioning the allocation of the first COVID-19 vaccine doses in the state, especially for high-risk health care workers.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester said its 2,300-dose shipment last week would only be enough for 6% of its front-line health care workers.
"We need to make sure that our staff receives the doses that they need," said Dr. Amy Williams, executive dean of Mayo Clinic Practice. "We have voiced our concerns and we hope that this will be addressed in a way that enables our staff to be vaccinated at the same pace as other health care workers in the state."
But a network of 17 safety net clinics whose patients are testing positive for COVID-19 at rates three times above average said they've received no doses and haven't been notified when they will receive any.
A leader of one of the clinics said Minnesota's vaccination plan resembles a "trickle down" model that perpetuates long-standing health inequities in the state.
Vaccine shipments are sent to large medical centers, which then redistribute them to other facilities as determined by regional health care boards.
"I think it would be unfortunate if the state decided to use the large medical systems to provide the vaccine exclusively," said Mike Holmes, chief executive of Scenic Rivers Health Services in northern Minnesota.
"It will continue the gaps or the cracks that we have in the system that tend to leave behind communities of color and low-income people," he said.