Nov 8, 2021 - COVID

All Skol, no shots: Vikings game vaccinations fall short

Torey Van Oot

Minnesota Vikings fans cheer during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

Efforts to vaccinate Vikings fans on game day have failed to run up the scoreboard on shots.

By the numbers: Just 147 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered through several highly touted pop-up clinics co-hosted by the team at home games between August and November, a Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson told Axios.

For context, U.S. Bank Stadium sits 66,000 fans.

Between the lines: Given the state and metro's high vaccination rate, there's a good chance many of those ticket-holders already got a jab.

But the low numbers for the promotion, which included a drawing for future game tickets, show the difficulty state officials face in reaching and inoculating the roughly 25% of Minnesotans 16-plus still on the vaccine sidelines.

Zoom out: The game-day clinics are part of a broader campaign that's included pop-ups at other well-attended events, including the State Fair and Farmfest.

"Every single shot administered protects another Minnesotan from COVID-19, and we'll keep looking for opportunities to get shots to Minnesotans who still need them," MDH's Devin Henry wrote in an email.

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All Skol, no shots: Vikings game vaccinations fall short

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