COVID shots begin in Steele County

Recognizing some shots have a burn to them, Steele County Public Health Director Amy Caron said “I felt nothing” after receiving the Moderna vaccine shot Monday afternoon at her office in Owatonna.
Caron and 10 other staff members in the Public Health Department received shots Monday. “It definitely was an air of excitement that we got vaccinated,” she said. “It gives us hope that there will be an end date.”
Nobody in the Public Health Department reported any issues with the vaccination, according to Caron. “We are trying to show that the vaccination is okay,” she said. “We are trying to create a trust with the public that this is a safe vaccine.”
Public health workers will receive their second dose of Moderna in 28 days.
The Moderna vaccination, Caron said, is reportedly 94% effective compared to 50% effectiveness for the typical flu shot. 
Caron’s department received 100 doses of Moderna on Dec. 23 and was set to receive another 200 doses on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Drive-thru clinics are taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 30 and 31 for EMS, police and firefighters to get vaccinated.
Based on what Caron has noticed so far, it appears that they will get through the first phase of emergency workers quicker than originally anticipated. When they are finished, they will move on to the second phase.
Meanwhile, as vaccinations began in the county, the number of new cases has dropped significantly in the past week. Steele County had 50 new cases, bringing the county’s total to 2,479 with nine deaths. “We haven’t been that low since early October,” said Caron, adding that there are currently 32 residents from the county hospitalized with COVID-19.
In Dodge County, another death was reported over the past week. A woman in her ‘90s living in a long-term care facility in the county died from complications of COVID-19, Caron said. There have been 21 new cases in the past week putting the county at 1,148. Eighteen Dodge County residents are currently hospitalized with COVID.
COVID has also slowed down in other neighboring counties. Freeborn County recorded 65 new cases over the past week while Mower County had 68 new cases. Mower also had one new death, bringing the county’s death toll to 23. Freeborn remains at 17 deaths.
Caron attributes the recent decline in COVID cases to the current restrictions in place for bars and restaurants. “It’s helping to lower the numbers,” she said. But she also said that bars and restaurants can’t be closed for an extended period. “I realize the other side of it. There is more chance we will lose businesses permanently if we continue.”
She said she is also optimistic that there will not be a surge in cases from the holidays.