A vaccine for COVID-19 can help protect you and reduce the spread of the disease.
All Minnesotans 5 years of age and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
Dakota County Public Health vaccinations
Dakota County Public Health clinics
Dakota County Public Health offers the COVID-19 vaccine. You do not need to get your COVID-19 booster at the same location that you got your first COVID-19 vaccines.
Make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
$100 Visa gift cards
Dakota County Public Health is offering $100 Visa gift cards to all people ages 5 and older that receive their first COVID-19 shot at a county clinic site (while supplies last).
Additional vaccination clinics
For questions related to finding COVID-19 vaccination clinics, call the Minnesota Department of Health's COVID-19 hotline at 1-833-431-2053. The state's hotline is available weekdays (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and on Saturdays (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
COVID-19 third doses and boosters
The CDC and FDA have approved boosters for everyone who is 5 years or older. You do not need to get your booster shot at the same place you got your first COVID-19 vaccines.
People who should get a booster
If you are 5 years or older and would like the Pfizer booster, you should get your booster at least five months after your first vaccine series. Pfizer is the only booster available for people 5-17 years old.
If you are 18 years or older and would like the Moderna COVID-19 booster, you should get your booster shot at least five months after your first vaccine series.
If you got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended if you are 18 years or older and were vaccinated at least two months ago.
If you're interested in getting a different type of vaccine for your booster than what you got originally, the CDC has reviewed data and determined that it is safe. Available data right now show that all three of the COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and reduce the spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging.
COVID-19 vaccine records on your phone
Minnesotans can now easily access their vaccine records through their smartphones or other mobile devices by using an app called
Docket. Docket enables residents with a Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) record to securely view and share their vaccine records.
Anyone who wants or needs access to their vaccine records and does not have a smartphone, or does not want to use the app, can still make a request from the state or their health care provider. For more information, visit Find My Immunization Record.
Docket is free and available for download in Apple and Android app stores.
Replacement COVID-19 vaccination cards
Dakota County can provide replacement CDC COVID-19 vaccine cards. If you lost your COVID-19 vaccine card, please call 952-891-7834.
If you need assistance in another language, are unable to complete an online request or are an out-of-state provider, please call the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection Record Request line at 651-201-3980. If you have questions about record requests, please email health.immrecords@state.mn.us or call 651-201-3980. Questions submitted by email are answered more quickly than questions left by voicemail.
One shot and two shot vaccines
Make sure you know which COVID-19 vaccine you are getting. There are currently one-shot and two-shot vaccines. For both one shot and two shot vaccines, you will not be considered fully protected until two weeks after your last shot. It is still important to follow safety rules, like wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away from people in public spaces.
- Moderna and Pfizer: These vaccines are two-shot vaccines. Two-shot (or two-dose) vaccines will require you to get one shot originally and a second shot 3 to 4 weeks later. If you get Moderna the first time, you need to get Moderna for the second shot. You cannot mix vaccines. It is very important with two-shot vaccines to get both shots.
- Johnson and Johnson: This is a one-shot vaccine. You do not need to get a second shot.
The vaccine is safe
The first COVID-19 vaccines have been developed by companies in the United States: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. They have been tested and found to both prevent COVID-19 and reduce symptoms for those that get the virus.
The COVID-19 vaccine will be continually studied for side effects and other reporting. If you receive the vaccine, you can help researchers by downloading the v-safe app to report any side effects. For more information on how the vaccines work, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines page.
Additional resources
Everyone should continue to educate themselves about the COVID-19 vaccine. Below are some additional COVID-19 vaccine resources to consider: