COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Anyone 18 and older is now eligible and recommended to get a booster shot. The timing of your booster shot depends on the vaccine you received for your initial vaccine series.

If you got Johnson & Johnson vaccine:

Anyone age 18 and older may get a booster shot at least 2 months after their first dose.

If you got Pfizer or Moderna vaccine:

Anyone age 18 and older may get a booster shot at least 6 months after their primary series of COVID-19 vaccine.

• For most people, the primary series is two doses of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, but people with certain immunocompromising conditions are recommended to get a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as part of their primary series. Learn more under the "Doses of COVID-19 vaccine" section near the top of this webpage.

Health officials have also authorized "mixing and matching" COVID-19 vaccine boosters, meaning anybody who is eligible to get a booster shot can get any of the three currently authorized or approved vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) – regardless of what vaccine they received for their primary series. You can read more about boosters on the CDC website here.

• Currently we are testing only symptomatic patients through our drive-thru or with a provider visit. Call the appointment line for appointments with providers or the drive-thru, or visit our Walk-In-Clinic. Please note these tests are sent out to the Mayo clinic and are not rapid tests. The drive-thru is currently only accepting symptomatic patients for testing. We recommend that asymptomatic patients in need of a test utilize one of the options below.
  • MDH has a testing site in Moorhead Monday-Thursday from 11am-6pm at the former Thomas Edison Elementary School. You can sign up online for an appt time at https://mncovidtestingappt.as.me/schedule.php
  • MDH also offers a test at home option through Vault. To order an at-home test at no cost visit https://learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-minnesota/
  • Walgreens (and potentially other pharmacies) has free testing available in Fergus Falls utilizing the same rapid test LRH uses. To make an appt visit their website at https://walgreens.com
  • Antigen tests can be purchased over the counter at local pharmacies.

  • Otter Tail County Public Health free COVID-19 testing opportunity

    October 18, 2021 – Otter Tail County, MN– Demand for COVID-19 testing has increased throughout Minnesota and Otter Tail County. Testing is now available through participating local public health agencies like Otter Tail County to all Minnesotans, with or without insurance.

    The first testing opportunity through Otter Tail County Public Health will be held October 22 at the Bigwood Event Center, 925 Western Avenue in Fergus Falls, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Vault saliva tests are available for all community members, 4 years of age and older, with or without symptoms. Minors will need to have a parent or guardian present. Please note these are not rapid tests. Results will be sent to you via text, email or a phone call. You must test onsite as there is no pickup option.

    Appointments are preferred because there is limited walk-up capacity. When visiting the clinic site for testing you are required to wear a mask. Please bring a smartphone for accessing Vault, the system that will send you the results of the test. If you do not use a smartphone there will be support staff on-site to assist you in receiving your results in a different way.

    To schedule a test for October 22 you can register online at bit.ly/3AGn2Bi or call 218-998-8320. State guidance on who should get tested and future Public Health testing opportunities can be found on Otter Tail County’s COVID-19 testing webpage: ottertailcountymn.us/covid-19-testing-information/

    How you can get a free COVID-19 test: Links to state sites may be found here ottertailcountymn.us/covid-19-testing-information/

    • Contact Otter Tail County Public Health and schedule a COVID-19 test for October 22 at the Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    • Order a test through the state’s no-cost at-home COVID-19 testing program.
    • Find a testing option, including through local providers, pharmacies and clinics, near you through the state’s Find Testing Locations map
    • Walk-in or schedule an appointment for a test at one of the state’s no-cost community testing sites. The nearest sites to Otter Tail County are Moorhead and Morris.

    Free COVID-19 vaccines are available throughout the region. For information on options in Otter Tail County visit bit.ly/2LsgD97 or call 218-998-8320.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. Lake Region Healthcare (LRH) and Prairie Ridge Healthcare (PRH) are available to help those who are eligible receive their third dose of the vaccine. It’s best to talk with your healthcare provider about your medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for you. Please call your provider to have this discussion and if appropriate, to receive further instruction on how to schedule your vaccine.

Eligibility conditions for 3rd doses include:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies.
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy.
• Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy).
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes).
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection.
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.

In some but not all cases, your provider may recommend temporarily holding or decreasing immunosuppressive medications around the time of vaccination. You can read more about this topic in this article.

• • LRH/PRH are offering vaccines at provider visits and occasional vaccine clinics. Please call the appointment line at 218.739.2221 to schedule.
  • Otter Tail County Public Health is also hosting weekly COVID vaccine clinics. You can schedule online by calling 218-998-8320or visiting their website at https://ottertailcountymn.us/content-page/covid-19-vaccine/
  • You may also check with Horizon Public Health for their vaccine opportunities by visiting their website at this link.
  • Several local pharmacies also offer the vaccine.
  • You can search for vaccine locations near you at this website: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp

• Delta is more contagious than the other virus strains and unvaccinated people are most at risk. Your best protection is to get the COVID vaccine. We have vaccine clinics scheduled for 8/11 and 8/18, if you’re interested.
• If you have more questions, public health is a great resource. You can reach Otter Tail County Public Health at 218-998-8320 or visit their website https://ottertailcountymn.us/content-page/covid-19-situation-update/

The COVID-19 vaccine is being provided at no cost. We will ask for insurance information to submit an administration fee to your insurance company if applicable. If insurance does not cover this fee, it will not be passed on to you.

The American Hospital Association has a resource that answers many of the frequent concerns we hear about the vaccine. It can be found at https://www.aha.org/vaccine.

Several of our providers have offered some video comments regarding vaccine safety and efficacy as well. Those can be viewed on our website here.

• You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines at the same visit. You no longer need to wait 14 days between vaccinations. Experience with other vaccines has shown that the way our bodies develop protection, known as an immune response, after getting vaccinated and possible side effects of vaccines are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines.
• Learn more about the timing of other vaccines.