The Minnesota Vikings practice facility in Eagan will be used as a clinic to administer the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to health care workers and seniors.
Roughly 13,400 doses of the vaccine, which began arriving in Minnesota on Wednesday, will be administered at the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center. The site joins five other semi-permanent vaccination sites in Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington and St. Paul.
“The TCO Performance Center event is another example of a growing vaccine network in Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement announcing the new site.
“This one-and-done vaccine is safe, highly effective, and helps us more quickly provide immunity to Minnesotans including to our courageous health care providers and our older neighbors,” Walz added.
Minnesota will receive about 46,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. After that, supplies of the one-dose vaccine are expected to fall off for a few weeks because of high demand and limited production. Doses of the previously authorized, two-dose vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are expected to fill that gap in the state’s vaccine allocation.
Minnesota has administered more than 1.45 million doses of vaccine and close to 950,000 residents have gotten at least one dose with half a million being fully vaccinated. On Wednesday, Minnesota ranked third in the nation in administering vaccine that had been received in the state.
The more people who are vaccinated the more likely life will begin to return to normal, state health officials have said.
“We are looking forward to being in the stands for high school football under the Friday night lights, the Gophers dominating on Saturdays, and the Vikings winning on Sundays this fall,” Walz’s statement said. “When vaccine supply from the federal meets demand, partnerships like this with the Vikings will help push us over the goal line in the battle against COVID-19.”
Andrew Miller, Vikings chief operating officer, said the organization was proud to partner with the state on a vaccination site. “The opportunity to play a role in combatting this virus continues to be a priority for the entire Vikings organization,” Miller said.
For more information about vaccines sign up at mn.gov/vaccineconnector or call 833-431-2053 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
