Beer chasers offered with COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota

At least 16 craft breweries and distilleries will offer free or discounted drinks over the next month as part of Minnesota's strategy to incentivize vaccination against a COVID-19 pandemic that has caused 600,767 known infections and 7,408 deaths in the state.

Gov. Tim Walz said vaccination progress already has reduced the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in Minnesota, where the positivity rate of recent diagnostic testing was lowered on Friday to 4% — below the caution threshold of 5%. COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota also declined to 316 on Thursday — down from 699 on April 14 and from 396 a week ago.

However, the governor said more people need to get their shots to stifle viral transmission, which was linked by the Minnesota Department of Health on Friday to another five COVID-19 deaths and 364 infections. The beer offers for all vaccine recipients 21 and older follow the governor's announcement on Thursday of a "very Minnesota" incentive program in which 100,000 new recipients 12 and older can receive passes to state parks and other summer attractions.

"We're doing this the Minnesota way — coming together to take care of each other while having a good time," Walz said. "Roll up your sleeves if you haven't already, get back to your favorite spot, and cheers to the vaccine!"

Anyone 21 or older with proof of vaccination can receive one free or discounted drink from the participating breweries and distilleries, making the offer an incentive for new recipients but also a reward for past recipients.

On-site vaccination events and rewards will be announced individually by Bad Weather Brewing Co., Bald Man Brewing, Dampfwerk Distilling, Far North Spirits, Isanti Spirits, La Dona Cerveceria, Lawless Distilling Co., L'Etoile du Nord, Loon Liquors, Lupulin Brewing Co., Richwood Winery, Royal Foundry Craft Spirits, Spiral Brewery, Stilheart Distillery & Cocktail Lounge, Unmapped Brewing Co. and Utepils Brewing. Other establishments are invited to participate.

Incentives have become a popular tool nationwide to boost lagging vaccination numbers in states — with Ohio drawing attention for its $1 million lottery for vaccine recipients and Maine offering a menu of attraction tickets similar to the Minnesota program.

In Minnesota, the breweries are bearing the cost of the drink offer, while the state is using federal COVID-19 relief funds to help pay for the attraction incentives.

The total cost of the state incentives could reach $3.5 million if everybody selected the most expensive tickets. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has agreed to pay $25 per incentive, or a total of $2.5 million.

More than 2.9 million Minnesotans 12 and older have received COVID-19 vaccine and more than 2.5 million of them have completed the one- or two-dose series. Minnesota has an incremental goal of providing vaccine to 70% of state residents 16 and older by July 1 — and now is at 64.2%.

While the state is creating local vaccination events to target socially vulnerable communities — where people are more likely to suffer severe COVID-19 due to their race, age or underlying health conditions — public health leaders hope the incentives will spark interest in other areas where vaccine progress has lagged.

Vaccination rates have been lower in fringe suburban counties. However, the rates in some counties improved Friday when the state completed a more precise geocoding of where vaccine recipients live.

The new incentive comes Friday as Minnesota is eliminating remaining capacity caps and social distancing requirements on businesses and entertainment venues. State infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann encouraged fully vaccinated people to enjoy visits together over the holiday weekend, but to consider that large crowds and indoor gatherings elevate infection risks.

Unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks and practice social distancing until they've received their shots, even without a state requirement, she added.

The seven-day rolling average of newly reported infections has dropped to a level not seen since last summer. However, state officials are concerned about the threat of more infectious variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19. While the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in England is causing three-fourths of new infections in Minnesota, health officials have noted an uptick in infections involving a P.1 variant identified in Brazil.

Genomic sequencing of a small sampling of total infections has identified P.1 in 306 cases in Minnesota, a substantial increase over the past week. Infections involving this variant have been found statewide, but the greatest increase this week was in Ramsey and Wright counties.

Jeremy Olson • 612-673-7744