Minnesota has been preparing all summer for COVID-19 vaccine distribution

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The CDC told state health departments Wednesday to prepare for a possible coronavirus vaccine this fall and Minnesota says it has been readying for it all summer. 

The letter, sent out late last week to state governors, lays out plans for a large scale distribution of COVID-19 vaccines this fall. The letter told states to prepare for “hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to be distributed across the U.S.” from state and local health departments to doctors offices.

Infectious disease expert Kris Ehresmann, from the Minnesota Department of Health, says it’s something they’ve been preparing for already.

“Our team has actually been working to prepare for vaccinations really all summer,” she said Wednesday. “And just last week, our virtual visit with CDC about vaccination. While that information was new and helpful to us, it really hasn’t changed the ongoing work that the team has been doing.”

The letter also addresses the massive distribution effort it will take and says they’ve contacted with McKesson Corporation to do the job by setting up new distribution centers around the country.

MDH says the CDC has indicated the initial supply would be given in two doses and be limited in scope. It would likely be given first to groups like health care workers, including in long-term care facilities.

 MDH said its focus will be on safety first, saying in a statement: “While we are committed to ensuring equitable access to a vaccine once the distribution process is in place, we will only do so if we have confidence a vaccine is safe.”