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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota nursing home residents began receiving doses of the newly approved Moderna vaccine this week as the state prioritizes the high-risk population in its vaccination rollout plan.
Residents and staff at the St. Cloud VA Community Living Center and an assisted living facility in the Prairie Island Indian Community were among the first to receive doses of the vaccine, which received emergency approval over the weekend. A number of other facilities across the state are planning to begin vaccinations this week, MPR News reported.
State health officials expect to receive 94,800 doses in its initial shipment of the Moderna vaccine this week, with most of it arriving on Wednesday.
Minnesota long-term care facilities suffered tremendous losses due to COVID-19, with a majority of the state’s death toll of nearly 5,000 people consisting of residents of facilities around the state. State health officials placed residents and staff of the facilities first in line for the vaccine alongside healthcare workers.
CVS Health announced earlier this week that the pharmacy chain would begin its effort to help vaccinate more than 63,000 residents and staff of Minnesota long-term care facilities on Monday.
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