NorthPoint staff get vaccines and hope to bring COVID shots to community soon

By David Pierini staff reporter

Stella Whitney-West brought along family when it came time for her to get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

They were with her in a frame, a color-tinted black and white picture of them standing proudly before a photographer shortly before the flu of 1918. Some in the photo did not survive that historic pandemic. 

NorthPoint Health & Wellness CEO Stella Whitney-West receives a vaccine from Nurse  Kim Alston. Photo by David Pierini

The NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center CEO on Friday was among the last of some 300 clinic staff members to receive the first of two vaccines to protect from a coronavirus that has infected 23 million people and killed nearly 390,000, including 5,885 Minnesotans. 

Whitney-West sharing her vaccination in front of cameras came on a day when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blasted the federal government for mismanagement of the vaccine supply. Since the vaccine was approved, Minnesota was receiving 60,000 doses a week. The state’s population is 5.6 million.

Whitney-West, who was joined by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, emphasized the urgency of an expedited rollout in a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan takes a selfie with NorthPoint CEO Stella Whitney-West, who held a family photo of ancestors who lived during the 1918 flu pandemic. Photo by David Pierini

“We’ve tested close to 9,000 people in the community and our test positivity rate was 20 percent, some weeks 30 percent,” Whitney-West said. “We are really excited about the hope of a new administration coming on board and getting more vaccines into the community. We want to begin giving those shots.”

Four weeks from now, NorthPoint staff will get the second Moderna vaccine and with President-elect Joe Biden taking office on Wednesday, Flanagan eluded to coming announcements about the next tier of vaccinations. 

NorthPoint clinic staff received the first of two Moderna vaccines. Photo by David Pierini

Prior to her NorthPoint visit on Friday, Flanagan had visited a clinic where elder Native Americans were receiving vaccines. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Nation and, last year, lost a brother to COVID-19.

“As someone who lost a family member to COVID-19, knowing that there are other families that won’t have to experience the loss that I did, because they will have access to the vaccine, is really moving and is exciting to be able to acknowledge and celebrate today,” Flanagan said.