BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Friday marked the end of an era in the state’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Minnesota Department of Health officially closed its vaccination site at the Mall of America.
The move comes as the MDH prepares to close state sites and vaccination centers.
The MOA opened in February 2021. Since then, MDH staff have distributed more than 263,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine; about 1 in 50 doses in Minnesota have reached this matrix.
The site’s busiest day came almost exactly one year after its closure: Dec. 29, 2021, when another 2369 people were vaccinated.
This reflects the peak of the COVID-19 wastewater date in Minnesota. Updated figures released Friday show that while overall viral RNA load has increased over the past week, the numbers are especially low since the January 2022 peak.
“There’s a lot to celebrate about what we’ve done together as a state,” outgoing MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said as she spoke to reporters on the final day. “It’s been so difficult, but also a wonderful privilege to paint with such wonderful people and serve the state right now. “
Malcolm told members of the media that the state plans to rely on personal vaccination clinics and testing sites in case of long-term outbreaks.
MDH will officially terminate its lease at the mall on Jan. 15.
Still, the public says they are still following COVID-19 trends with a keen eye.
“It’s not over,” Gov. Tim Walz said Friday. their restrictions. “
Earlier this week, EE. UU. se joined other countries in a not easy selection of passengers from China.
For those who earned their memorial at the mall on Friday, it marked the end of a well-earned era.
“It’s sad, but it’s so smart that we’re at the point of the pandemic that we can prevent it,” said Lou Riebe of Minneapolis.