University of Minnesota Infectious Disease Director Doctor Michael Osterholm is reflecting on what he called the "last mile and last inch" of the pandemic, as the number of people getting vaccinated continues to fall.
Records show that since early April, the statewide average for first doses administered fell from about 40,000 per day to fewer than 14,000 at the end of last week.
Osterholm told WCCO radio's Mike Max, that it doesn't make sense to wait to get vaccinated.
“It’s kind of like that person who says I’m not going to wear a seatbelt because I’ve never been in a fatal accident," he said. "Well, tomorrow could be the day, and you have to prepare for it.”
Osterholm said the rollout of the vaccine fell short.
“During those first months, of making sure we could get vaccines to the communities, we did a poor job,” he said. “We had many more arms that wanted vaccine doses than we had doses.”
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Now, he says there are more doses than people want, admitting there is still concern in the community.
“If you’re a young woman today worried about getting pregnant, and there are rumors about fertility, you might not want to get vaccinated, even though it’s not true.”
There are efforts underway to help to get people vaccinated.
For example, volunteer physicians are working with a brewery in St Paul on a “pop-up” event that offers rewards for people who get the shot with a free beer.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported 810 new cases of COVID 19, with 7 more deaths.