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Minnesota Physicians Implore Eligible Minnesotans to Get Vaccinated and Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19

December 15, 2021

Healthcare Workers are exhausted and at their limit

MINNEAPOLIS  – Saying that they are exhausted and at their limit, Minnesota physicians on the front lines pleaded with their fellow Minnesotans to help stop the spread of COVID-19, chiefly by getting vaccinated.
Hospitals across the state are nearing capacity, and with the colder weather here and people planning to get together in large groups during the holidays, it’s shaping up to be a difficult season for healthcare workers, the physicians said during a press conference held today at Hennepin Healthcare’s Clinic and Specialty Center in downtown Minneapolis.

“Everyone has to do their part to slow the spread of this virus,” said Laurel Ries, MD, representing the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA). “The best way to fight this is for more people to get vaccinated. Healthcare workers will continue to do their jobs, but we are struggling, and we need help. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, please do so, and then mask up and stay socially distant.”

More than a dozen physicians and healthcare workers urged Minnesotans to get vaccinated and to take precautionary measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Minnesota now has the third highest infection rate in the U.S.

“Our patients with and without COVID are suffering and dying because of the lack of access to hospitals,” said Alice Mann, MD, MPH, representing the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians. “Part of our training as family physicians is to help patients avoid illness through preventive care. The crushing reality is that the large majority of the hospitalized COVID patients could have been prevented with vaccinations.”

About the Minnesota Medical Association
The Minnesota Medical Association is a non-profit professional association representing physicians, residents and medical students. With more than 11,000 members, the MMA is dedicated to being the leading voice of medicine to make Minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.   

About the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians
The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is the largest medical specialty organization in Minnesota, representing more than 3,100 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students. The MAFP is the state chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians and works to promote the specialty of family medicine in Minnesota and support family physicians as they provide high quality, comprehensive and continuous medical care for patients of all ages.

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