First shipment of vaccine arrives at Mankato Public Safety
First shipment of vaccine arrives at Mankato Public Safety By KEYC Staff | January 8, 2021 at 10:44 PM CST - Updated January 8 at 10:44 PM
MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) â The first members of Mankatoâs Public Safety team have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
âSince our first responders are most likely to be the initial contact in emergency situations, itâs important that they, as well as the people theyâre helping, are safe and protected against COVID-19,â Director of Public Safety Amy Vokal said.
Associate Director of Public Safety Jeff Bengtson was among the first to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. Bengtson responds to calls where residents need assistance or are in emergency situations.
The Free Press and MPR News
MANKATO â COVID-19 positivity rates continued to trend downward this week, with rates dropping below 5% in three south-central Minnesota counties.
Positivity rates â measuring the percentage of tests resulting in positive cases â above 5% are considered concerning. Before this week, no county had a rate below 5% since Nov. 11.
Blue Earth, Sibley and Watonwan counties all were below 5% between Dec. 16-23, while Brown, Nicollet, Le Sueur and Faribault counties dropped below 6%.
Two counties, Waseca and Martin, had rates go up this week. Martin Countyâs rise was by the smallest of margins from 6.84% to 6.85%, while Waseca Countyâs rate rose from 7.8% to 8.5%.
Dec 22, 2020
The Minnesota Department of Health s testing lab handles samples of COVID-19. Courtesy Minnesota Department of Health
MANKATO â A new shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to arrive in Minnesota Wednesday, which would pave the way for immunizations to begin at area long-term care residents before the end of the month.
Long-term care residents, whoâve accounted for most of the stateâs COVID deaths, are in the â1Aâ group of people being prioritized for the vaccine. Frontline health workers in the Mankato area, also in the 1A group, began receiving Pfizer vaccines Monday.
Residents in long-term care or assisted living facilities would be set to next receive vaccines from another manufacturer, Moderna.