Health official says Clay County’s low vaccination rate is misleading

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – Two Minnesota counties in the Red River Valley have some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state.

According to the Minnesota Dept. of Health,  just 31% of Clay County’s residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. In Wilkin County, it’s 30%.

Among residents 16 and over, 40% of Clay County residents received at least one dose of vaccine.  Just 38% of Wilkin County residents over 16 have been vaccinated at least once.

But Clay County Public Health Administrator Kathy McKay says she believes the figures may not be accurate.

McKay says Clay and Wilkin County residents, perhaps thousands, have been getting their vaccines in North Dakota, where providers aren’t required to submit data to Minnesota’s vaccination registry.

McKay says the numbers may also be skewed by the VA Medical Center in Fargo, which also doesn’t report vaccinations to Minnesota.

McKay says the actual vaccination rates in Clay and Wilkin Counties are probably closer to Minnesota’s statewide averages.

Statewide, 61% of Minnesota residents over 16 have been vaccinated for COVID-19 at least once.  48% of the state’s total population has received the vaccine.

Cook County has the highest vaccine rate in Minnesota, where 79% of residents 16 and over have been vaccinated at least once.

More statistics are available on Minnesota’s vaccine data website HERE.