“We’re pushing vaccines out to anyone who is willing to get them and we’re focusing a lot on education and the reasons why getting vaccinated is the right choice,” said Public Health Director Jonelle Hubbard. “The main age ranges really are that young adult to 48-year-olds. Really that range of people, we’re seeing vaccine numbers not quite where we want them.”
Of those eligible, 67 percent have been vaccinated in Anoka County. Hubbard says cash incentives from the state and the threat of the Delta variant have helped bring people out. But the rate is still slightly lower than statewide rates. Some places like Blaine have a much higher rate at 88 percent. But Oak Grove and Bethel are at 51 percent. So the strategy has shifted from large vaccination clinics to smaller venues closer to vulnerable populations.
“No longer are we rolling out vaccine in large numbers,” says Hubbard. “We are strategizing around areas in which we can have the most impact, and that’s where we’re heading to give the vaccine. Most of the time our teams are going out into the community. No longer are they coming to us.”
That means setting up in locations that are convenient and on a bus line. There were just six appointments for one recent clinic at the Blaine Human Services Center. But a little at a time, it is making a difference in areas they focus on.
“The vaccine rates in those clinics are above the state average. We’re really proud of that. It really shows our strategy is working,” said Hubbard.
Anoka County offers vaccine clinics at the Blaine Human Services Center on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. They’re also at Anoka-Ramsey Community College on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Appointments are available, but walk-ins are also welcome.
