In mid-April, Minnesota announced the opening of a new vaccination site at Lino Lakes. That makes it the ninth permanent vaccination site in the state.

These mass vaccination sites are part of Minnesota’s COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program. The goal of this program is to make it easier for Minnesotans to get vaccinated, wherever they are.

Other permanent vaccination sites are located in St. Cloud, Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington, Saint Paul, Mankato and Oakdale—with the potential for more to come.

These sites do not accept walk-ins. To get an appointment, sign up for the state’s Vaccine Connector at M-N dot GOV backslash VACCINE CONNECTOR. This will notify you when vaccine opportunities open near you.

Once you get your Community Vaccination Program Appointment, try to arrive 15 minutes early. Appointments are staggered to help with social distancing.

Vaccine shots are provided at no cost. But if you have an insurance card, bring it along. The state will use the information to bill the insurance company on your behalf. If you are uninsured or for some reason your insurance company does not cover all the cost, the state will cover the difference.

Insurance is not required. The COVID vaccine is free to everyone.

Expect to sit for at least 15 minutes after you receive the vaccine. If you have allergies, you’ll be asked to wait 30 minutes. This is to ensure there are no reactions to the vaccine.