MCH Student:

Lai Jing Su

Date of Defense:

April 26, 2021

Abstract:

The WHO declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic in March of 2020. Since then, Minnesota residents have been through quarantine, transitioned to online learning and remote work, and have been adjusting to social distancing protocols. It took less than a year for a vaccine to be created and have successful clinical trials. In July of 2020, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) was informed that the Center for Disease Control(CDC) was partnering with Deloitte to create an online application for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The goal was to create a multipurpose tool that could be used for effective allocation, distribution, administration, and accurate statistics of the COVID-19 vaccination, with various modules for different users(jurisdiction, provider organization/clinic, employer, and vaccine recipient). The goal for MDH was to identify a program that would support the health of Minnesotans and create transparency between the jurisdiction of MDH and Minnesotan residents. During the months between August and December, I attended multiple townhalls and information sessions that theCDC held about their new online application as partof my Applied Practice Experience (APEX).Place and Time:My APEX was conducted at the MIIC Department in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control (IDEPC) Division at the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul, Minnesota. The program planning and decision making of choosing the appropriate application took place in the Fall 2020, with COVID vaccination staking place mid-December to present.