FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — The demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is sky-high in Minnesota. In fact, the Minnesota online portal had technical difficulties with the high traffic .
According to Otter Tail County Public Health Director Jody Lien, Fergus Falls is one of the pilot sites, as are Thief River Falls and St. Cloud.
Lien says this is all about finding what works and what doesn't and ultimately, laying the groundwork for a statewide system to increase the efficiency of distributing vaccinations.
Each regional site has the capacity for a little more than 1,000 appointments this week. There are no walk-ins; appointment are made online or by phone only.
The Minnesota Department of Health says the state is receiving 60,000 doses per week. That's only 1% of what's needed to vaccinate more than 5.5 million people.
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"There's a lot of people interested in it, so we're really asking for patience from our residents, but I really think we're going to be proud to have been part of getting this set up," Lien said.
More than 200,000 Minnesotans have already gotten one vaccine dose, but demand still far outweighs the supply.
Appointments are full for this week, but more appointments spots will be open again on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at noon.
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