Reaching Diverse Communities During a Local Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Response Through a Mobile Clinic Compared to Mass Vaccination Sites

Abstract

During the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, local public health agencies were responsible for vaccinating a wide variety of communities. Dakota County Public Health (Dakota County, Minnesota) implemented a program that offered COVID-19 vaccines in a variety of settings, such as county public health buildings, community sites, in-home, mass vaccination clinics, and a mobile clinic unit. The purpose of this analysis is to compare the demographics of vaccinations administered at Dakota County COVID-19 vaccination clinics based on clinic site. More than half (52.5%) of vaccinations administered at mobile clinic sites were administered to Hispanic or Latino clients, while at the mass vaccination clinic site, 5.4% of vaccinations were administered to Hispanic or Latino clients. In addition, 59.6% of in-home vaccinations were administered to adults 65 years and older. Offering COVID-19 vaccination clinics in a variety of clinic settings strategically throughout the community helped increase vaccine reach to diverse communities.