Walz joins coalition of governors calling for more COVID-19 vaccines

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joined a coalition of seven other governors to call upon the federal government to distribute more COVID-19 vaccines to states.

Along with Walz, the governors of Michigan, California, Kansas, Illinois, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin signed off on the letter, which was sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Operation Warp Speed Chief Operating Officer General Gustave Perna. 

"According to publicly reported information, the federal government currently has upwards of 50% of currently produced vaccines held back by the administration for reasons unknown," read the letter in part.

Minnesota has been criticized for a slow vaccine rollout compared to other states. Health officials say there have been delays in reporting immunization data as well as a lag in receiving doses after the government has allocated them. According to state data, there have been 91,174 total COVID-19 vaccines administered statewide.

"General Perna, as you have stated before, 'a vaccine sitting on a shelf is not effective,'" read the letter. "We couldn’t agree with you more. That’s why we are asking for your help now. When we work together, we can end this pandemic and return to a life of normalcy sooner."