WINONA, Minn. — State Senator Jeremy Miller R-Winona blamed the slow rollout of Co-Vid vaccine on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Miller said Walz and state health officials engaged in confusing on-again and off-again policies that failed to utilize existing hospital infrastructure to distribute vaccine consistently. In a KWNO radio interview, Miller said Minnesota lags behind other states. How fumbled has the rollout been? Miller mentioned a veteran from Spring Grove who was eligible for priority vaccination but was told to drive 270 miles to Duluth.
Local frustration
Chief executive Rachelle Schultz of Winona Health expressed frustration about promised Co-Vid vaccine not arriving. At one point she managed to beg a paltry 100 doses from Mayo Clinic in Rochester. It was appreciated but far short. The County emergency management chief Ben Klinger recently received 450 doses but ran out. There was a short-lived state plan for expedited delivery plan but only to nine sites. In response, small and medium-size hospitals lobbied and were promised a bigger share of limited supplies. Schultz still waits.
Winona shots
As of Tuesday 5,441 Winona County residents had received their first shots and 1,744 had completed the two-inoculation sequence.