GuidePoint in Marshall selected as vaccine site

MARSHALL -- Statewide plans for COVID-19 vaccinations no longer include a community pilot site in Marshall, but area seniors will still be able to search for nearby locations where they can get a vaccine appointment.

According to a new online search tool released by the state, the list of locations includes both GuidePoint Pharmacy and Southwest Health and Human Services in Marshall, as well as Sanford Tracy.

GuidePoint pharmacist Sandy Murphy said there were still a lot of details to be worked out, but people were already showing interest on Monday.

"We've had people calling in," Murphy said. While the question of how GuidePoint will administer vaccines is still being worked on, staff have been taking down contact information for people age 65 and older who are interested in making an appointment.

Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that more than 35,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be made available to Minnesotans age 65 and older. The vaccines would be available through clinics, hospitals, state vaccination sites, and other locations this week. The announcement called it an "all-of-the-above approach," instead of relying on community pilot sites.

"We have long planned for most Minnesotans to get vaccinated in the places they are used to getting their health care - places like smaller clinics, local hospitals, and community pharmacies," Walz said in the announcement. "But not everyone has a doctor or pharmacy they're familiar with. That's why we've built up a reliable network of different ways Minnesotans will be able to access the vaccine. After careful planning, we're now activating that network to give Minnesotans options close to home."

"We still need more supply, but we have to work quickly with what we do have and be ready when the federal government ramps up to meet the demand. Today we're expanding locations offering the vaccine and helping connect our seniors to shots where they live, so we can get to work crushing COVID-19 across Minnesota," Walz said.

Along with the announcement that vaccines would be available at a wider variety of places, the state announced the launch of a new interactive map to locate them. By going to https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/, seniors can search for sites near their hometown or ZIP code.

In the Marshall area, the list of providers included health care providers and pharmacies in Marshall, Tracy, Redwood Falls, Slayton and Canby.

Murphy said the GuidePoint pharmacy in Marshall was one of 19 independent pharmacies chosen by the Minneota Department of Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

"It's really an exciting time for community pharmacies," Murphy said. "We're here to serve our community."

While the COVID vaccine announcement had the phones ringing at GuidePoint, Murphy said there's still a lot of details to work out -- for example, when the vaccines would arrive and when the pharmacy could hold vaccine clinics. She said she expected to know more later in the day Monday.

At the same time that more community clinics and pharmacies will be giving COVID-19 vaccines, Walz said Minnesota will be scaling back the number of pilot sites that will give vaccines. Marshall was one of nine communities around the state that held vaccine clinics over the past two weeks. People who got the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Marshall pilot site will still be able to return for their second dose, Walz's office said. But starting this week, the state is establishing two large-scale, permanent community vaccination sites in Minneapolis and Duluth. A third location in southern Minnesota is planned to launch next week.

"We need to jumpstart our vaccination efforts, and our vaccine pilot program taught us important lessons about how we do that," Walz said. "These new, more permanent community vaccine sites are an important part of our strategy to expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine."

Walz's announcement said people who registered for the vaccine pilot program but are still on the wait list will stay on the list, and have an opportunity to be selected to schedule an appointment at the new permanent sites. Murphy said she didn't yet know for sure whether people on the wait list could still sign up for a local vaccine appointment at a clinic or pharmacy. However, she said, "I assume it's a yes."