Mayo frustrated as vaccine distribution to frontline workers lags behind other hospitals
As Covid-19 vaccination efforts begin to ramp up, Mayo Clinic says it’s receiving far fewer doses than it expects or needs from the state and federal government — leaving a higher proportion of its frontline health care workers at risk than other hospital systems across Minnesota.
Dr. Amy Williams, executive dean of the Clinic practice, says Mayo has the capacity to vaccinate up to 10,000 people a week, but so far, just under 3,000 doses have arrived. While a slightly larger shipment is expected to arrive this week, it will not allow the Clinic’s vaccination wing to operate at full capacity.
“We are very concerned about this, and we want to make sure our staff understand the process here — we just need more vaccine,” said Dr. Williams.
Dr. Williams said roughly 2,300 health care workers at Mayo’s Rochester campus have been vaccinated in the first week — using nearly all of their first week’s allotment, but covering just under six percent of Mayo’s 39,000-person Rochester workforce. Roughly 10,000 of those workers are considered “frontline Covid caregivers.”
So far, only a select few of those Covid-facing health care workers have received vaccination at Mayo, but Dr. Williams says that’s not the case at some other Minnesota hospitals.
“Our staff are hearing from their colleagues, around the state and elsewhere, that they are getting vaccinated even if they don't have roles that expose them on a regular basis to Covid-19 patients, or don’t put them at the same high risk as some of our staff,” said Dr. Williams. “This has been very difficult, and we need to make sure our staff receives the doses they need.”
Vaccine allotments for Minnesota’s hospitals are determined by the Minnesota Department of Health and the federal government. Confusion and poor planning have defined the national vaccine distribution strategy so far, leaving state-level health departments with fewer doses than originally imagined.
At the Minnesota Department of Health, spokesperson Doug Schultz said MDH was working with Mayo, among other hospitals, to identify issues in the distribution process and “make it right.”
“The supply of vaccine is currently extraordinarily limited and does not allow for the immediate vaccination of every health care worker and long term care resident,” said Schultz. “We will get to that point soon, but we aren’t there yet due to limited vaccine supply from the federal government.”
Kris Ehresmann, MDH’s director of infectious disease, says 46,800 Pfizer doses were distributed across Minnesota last week. With the approval of the Moderna vaccine last week, Ehresmann expects roughly 95,000 doses to be distributed before the new year.
As the jockeying for vaccine doses continues, Dr. Williams cited more encouraging numbers in Mayo’s system-wide battle against Covid-19. Roughly 150 patients are hospitalized with Covid across the entire Midwest Mayo Clinic system — barely above the Rochester total alone about six weeks ago. Positivity rates continue to hover around 10 percent, while staff absences continue to fall.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Cover photo licensed via Getty
