Michigan’s early rate of vaccinating the population with COVID-19 vaccines – which is lagging behind most other states – underscores how many doses of the vaccine are on shelves in hospitals, pharmacies and health departments.
The Department of Health and Human Services in Michigan on Tuesday acknowledged that the 520,150 distributed vaccine doses published on its website do not contain 160,000 doses sent by the CDC to CVS and Walgreens for the vaccination of elderly residents in nursing homes in Michigan.
Tuesday’s vaccination report showed that 140,245 doses of COVID vaccine were administered, less than 27 percent of the vaccines sent to Michigan by the federal government since the mass vaccination began three weeks ago.
But if the doses for nursing homes are added to the total, the percentage of individuals who received the shot drops to 20.6 percent compared to the amount of vaccine available. In the state’s Tuesday report, the surplus of vaccines increased to 539,875, about 140,000 doses more than a day ago.
The state health agency acknowledged the count in the vaccines distributed Tuesday after Crain inquired about Monday’s MDHHS report showing that 7,090 doses are being administered in nursing homes, but no corresponding data showing that the vaccine doses to nursing homes, CVS or Walgreens does not become. The two chain pharmacies vaccinate residents and staff in long-term care facilities under a partnership with the federal government.
Michigan’s fight to spread and administer Pfizer and Modern vaccines quickly comes as the CDC reports that the state’s per capita vaccination rate is the seventh lowest in the country, only Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi and North Carolina.
MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said the state agency plans to add a dose of vaccines distributed to nursing homes to its daily vaccine data control panel in the future, and it will break out into their own category. ‘
CVS and Walgreens handle the scheduling, distribution and administration of the shot for residents and staff of nursing homes. The competing national chains started caring for residents and staff of Moderna’s vaccine on 28 December.
Melissa Samuel, president of the Health Care Association of Michigan, announced the 160,000-figure Tuesday in an interview with Crain.
“We were told there were about 160,000 doses or more after CVS and Walgreens,” Samuel said. “The goal of the state, CVS and Walgreens is to complete the first dose doses in three weeks. The first week has been a bit delayed by the holiday week. We will hurry up quickly.”
Vaccinations in nursing homes will accelerate rapidly and all 160,000 doses will be administered within three weeks. At present, CVS and Walgreens provide approximately 1,000 doses per day in Michigan’s nursing homes.
Tuesday’s state vaccination report showed that the number of vaccines administered in nursing homes and other long-term facilities increased by 911 to 8,006.
That equates to 5 percent of the vaccine designated for nursing homes, which has been used since Monday. Nursing homes are preferred for the vaccine, as it has been linked to 38.6 percent of Michigan’s 12,867 COVID-19 deaths and 7.6 percent of the half-million infections.
HCAM, which represents approximately 440 nursing homes and assistance facilities, has obtained state and federal approval to allow only Modern COVID-19 vaccines for their members’ facilities. Pfizer’s vaccine requires ultra-cold freezers, equipment that hospitals and the Department of Health have built up before the FDA’s approval last month for the two COVID vaccines.
“It was a very good decision by the state,” Samuel said. “We have vaccinated the most vulnerable population.”
CVS and Walgreens are planning all nursing homes in the state for vaccination clinics, Samuel said.
“I have not heard any problems with the scheduling or dosing yet.” Said Samuel. “Other states have experienced problems but are not aware of them.”
Representatives from CVS and Walgreens did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Samuel has no percentage of residents or staff vaccinated.
“My sense at the moment is that the percentage of residents receive a lot of doses. I’m not surprised at who they are and where they are. They want the assurance that they are connecting with family,” she said. “The staff, some are reluctant to get the vaccinations. This is a wait-and-see approach. The percentages are therefore lower than residents.”
Samuel said the big challenge right now is to expand education and residents’ education so that they can understand that the vaccines are safe and effective.
“I feel comfortable that the process is working and that the clinics are scheduled and that we will increase the percentages,” she said.