COVID-19 information for Bloomington
Please wear a mask while inside City facilities, regardless of vaccination status.
Bloomington Public Health is monitoring COVID-19 in Minnesota. Visit the Minnesota Department of Health's website for the latest information.
At Bloomington Public Health
Bloomington Public Health is vaccinating individuals 18 and older. Make your appointment today by visiting blm.mn/clinics. If you need assistance, call 952-563-8900, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
At Mall of America
Minnesotans 12 to 15 years old and their families are being prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination at the Mall of America community vaccination site. Families are encouraged to walk in or schedule an appointment at MOA Community Vaccination Program.
Vaccines.gov
Use Vaccines.gov to find a location near you, then call or visit their website to make an appointment.
Did you misplace your COVID-19 vaccination card? Use the free Docket app to access your immunization history in Minnesota, including your COVID-19 vaccine. With Docket, you can share immunization records for health, school, travel, and other purposes.
If you’d like to access your immunization record another way, you may submit a request to the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection. Request your immunization record online or call their record request line at 651-201-3980.
There are several COVID-19 testing options available, including community and at-home testing. Many COVID-19 tests are free, but a health care provider may charge for their time.
At-home testing (No cost)
Order a test through the state’s free at-home testing program.
Community testing sites (No cost)
Walk in or schedule an appointment for a test at one of the state’s free community testing sites across Minnesota.
- In Bloomington
The state has a testing site in Bloomington at 9930 Logan Avenue South, the former site of the Motor Vehicle Office (DMV). Appointments are encouraged. You can make an appointment online to get tested there, or at another state testing location.
Other testing sites in Minnesota
Find a testing site that is convenient for you, including clinic, hospital and pharmacy locations. These sites may have different pay structures, so be sure to contact both the testing site and your health insurance company ahead of your visit to make sure you won’t be charged for a test.
When should a person get tested?
The State of Minnesota’s website helps people determine if they should get tested for COVID-19 and find a testing location near them.
What does a saliva test involve?
This section reviews some common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine and clears up confusion with reliable information.
Can the COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility?
FACT: There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause female or male fertility problems—problems getting pregnant.
If trying to get pregnant now or in the future, would-be parents can receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
CDC does not recommend routine pregnancy testing before COVID-19 vaccination. If you are trying to become pregnant, you do not need to avoid pregnancy after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Like with all vaccines, scientists are studying COVID-19 vaccines carefully for side effects now and will report findings as they become available.
It is important to remember that pregnant people are at a higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19 and that there are known benefits of vaccination. Hear from Dr. Katia Castillo, OB-GYN, about why she recommends the COVID-19 vaccine to her patients.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy from the Minnesota Department of Health.
Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain eggs, milk, pork or similar ingredients?
FACT: The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any animal byproducts, including eggs, milk, pork, or gelatin. They also do not contain latex or preservatives.
Before you are given a vaccine, you will receive a vaccine fact sheet (either electronically or print) that includes a full ingredient list. It is very rare for people to be allergic to the vaccine ingredients. Only 1 out of 100,000 people had a major allergic reaction that occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination. To be safe, people are asked to wait 15 minutes after getting the vaccine. All clinics have access to medicine to treat an allergic reaction.
The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines contain only four types of ingredients:
- “mRNA” is the active ingredient in the vaccine. It contains the instructions for our body to make just one small part of the virus. This one part CANNOT cause disease. This small part of the virus alerts our immune system to fight against it. Once our immune systems builds up antibodies, it will recognize the real coronavirus if we are exposed. This is how the vaccine protects us from getting COVID-19.
- Lipids (fats) protect the “mRNA” and make it a little greasy so it can enter the cell to make the small part of the virus.
- Salts/acids help balance the acidity in the body and preserves the vaccine.
- Sugar (table sugar) helps protect the vaccine when it is frozen.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine contains the following types of ingredients:
- The vector: a different, harmless virus (not the virus that causes COVID-19) that helps our body to produce an immune response.
- Common preservatives and stabilizers, such as citric acid powder, which are used in medications and vaccines to help keep active ingredients stable.
- Salts/acids help balance the acidity in the body and preserves the vaccine.
- Ingredients that help the vaccine solution to be used by your body, also known as solubility.
All available vaccines are safe and effective. The vaccines will protect you and your family.
How can we trust the COVID-19 vaccine, when it was developed so quickly?
FACT: All available COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. No safety steps have been skipped in making the COVID-19 vaccines.
There are many reasons why the COVID-19 vaccines could be developed quickly AND yet be safe and effective. Here are a few.
- The method used for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has been in development for years. This made it easier for companies to move rapidly.
- The genetic code of COVID-19 was identified and shared quickly. Scientists could start working on vaccines right away.
- The vaccine developers didn’t skip any testing steps. They overlapped the timing of some of the steps so they could gather data faster.
- Vaccine projects had plenty of resources. The government invested in research and/or paid for vaccines in advance.
- The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines used a faster development technique than traditional vaccines.
- Many people were willing to help with the COVID-19 vaccine research. Social media helped find and engage study volunteers in a very short period of time.
- COVID-19 is very contagious and widespread, so it did not take long to see if the vaccine worked in the study volunteers.
- The government paid companies to make the vaccines early in the process, before they got authorization. This meant there were vaccine doses ready to ship as soon as they were authorized by the FDA.
No steps or safety measures were skipped. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and work for everyone in the authorized age groups (currently ages 12 and older).
Source: John Hopkins Medicine
Contact a COVID-19 community coordinator
COVID community coordinators support Minnesotans who need COVID-19 information specific to their communities, including in their languages. Coordinators help community members find and get critical resources to deal with health concerns, as well as employment, food access, housing, child care, and legal rights.
Minnesota COVID-19 helpline
- 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504
Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Callers can select from a menu of options that address COVID-19 questions related to vaccines, testing, workplace safety, schools and childcare, and more.
- blm.mn/cdash: Bloomington COVID-19 data.
- blm.mn/c19situation: Statewide data.