COVID-19 vaccine lottery underway for Minnesotans 65 and up

KSTP

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State health officials are set to contact a random drawing of the tens of thousands of Minnesotans ages 65 and up who signed up to receive coronavirus vaccines.

The Minnesota Department of Health opened a 24-hour vaccine registration period at 5 a.m. Tuesday, and a computerized random selection started at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The state has roughly 11,700 doses to give out.

Representatives will start contacting those who were selected starting at 9 a.m., either by phone, text or email. The MDH will make two attempts to reach those on the list before moving on to another person. Anyone who misses the call can call the number back.

Those who signed up but are not contacted by MDH on Wednesday will be retained for the next round.

More information on future rounds and whether these sign-ups will be the norm going forward is expected to be released in the coming days.

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2021, file photo, Aspen Valley Hospital clinical pharmacist Kelly Atkinson organizes the empty vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the command unit trailer set up next to the vaccination tent in the Benedict Music Tent parking lot in Aspen, Colo. Uncertainty over the pace of federal COVID-19 vaccine allotments triggered anger and confusion Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in some states where officials worried that expected shipments would not be forthcoming.[Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP]