More than two million Michigan residents are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine program.
But people are looking for information on how and when they can get a stroke, and healthcare providers immediately acknowledge that the hasty expansion of the program – announced last week – is causing a sloppy and broken rollout.
“It’s early and there are so many questions,” said Heidi Britton, CEO of Northwest Michigan Health Services, a nonprofit business in Traverse City. “We receive it all from our friends, our family and our patients.”
Below is what you need to know.
Who is eligible now?
- Any resident of Michigan, 65 years and older.
- Teachers for toddlers up to grade 12.
- Police officers, first responders, prison staff and prison staff.
- Child caregivers.
- Frontline state and federal workers.
- Healthcare providers and support staff dealing with the public.
- Residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
Note: the list does not include essential workers such as retail and food service workers or people under 65 who already have a condition.
How can individuals get the vaccine?
The local health departments oversee the vaccination program, which means the process will vary from country to country.
In most areas, local departments and hospitals plan vaccination clinics for senior citizens and others who are eligible. Some communities have special clinics that are available specifically for teachers and / or first responders.
Residents and long-term care staff receive their vaccines through a federal program in which CVS or Walgreen holds vaccination clinics at each facility.
How can people find out specific details for their community?
- Teachers, police officers and other essential workers should inquire with their employer whether a specific vaccination clinic has been scheduled for their workplace, and how the vaccine will be distributed among essential workers in the country.
- Senior citizens are requested to check the home pages of their local health department as well as their local hospital system on how and when appointments will be available. It is recommended to check the pages daily.
- Some health departments and hospitals ask people who are eligible to fill out an online form so individuals can be contacted when appointments are available. Once the form is completed, people should consult their email daily for an invitation to schedule an appointment.
- Elderly people should also check their email for a possible email from their local hospitals, some of which use their databases to identify patients 65 and older to send out invitations for appointments.
- Self-employed child care providers should follow the same route as senior citizens and try to get a vaccination through their local health department or hospital.
For the time being, vaccine clinics are by appointment only
Do not show up at an inoculation site by appointment, and do not bother to look for a walk-in clinic in Michigan, health officials say. For several reasons, suppliers say that the COVID-19 vaccine clinics will only be done by appointment.
One of the reasons is the need to maintain social distance and to limit the number of people who are vaccinated at the same time.
Another factor: COVID-19 vaccines have very specific storage and handling requirements, and suppliers need to know exactly how many doses to prepare each day.
It can take weeks to make an appointment
With more than two million Michigan residents now eligible for the vaccine, demand is rising far more than supply.
“Unfortunately, there is simply not enough vaccine available for Michigan to be able to vaccinate everyone who is eligible at this stage,” MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said.
Vaccination of doses already administered and allocated to the vaccination program for long-term caregivers and staff have less than 300,000 vaccine doses available as of Monday.
In addition, Michigan receives its vaccine doses from the federal government, and it is unclear from week to week how much the state will receive for distribution among hospitals, local health departments, and other health care providers.
The uncertainty means that those who administer the vaccine are reluctant to plan appointments too long in advance. Elmouchi, for example, said Spectrum Health is planning 11,000 appointments this week, but is waiting to see how much vaccine they will receive for next week before opening the appointment schedule.
The situation is the same in the Traverse City area.
“We do ask if you are eligible now, you can fill out an appointment request,” said Wendy Hirschenberger, head of Grand Traverse County health department. ‘We will contact you if the appointments are available. We will have a scheduling tool; so we work it. However, it can take weeks or longer (to make an appointment), depending on how large these groups are and how quickly the vaccine enters. That is why we ask that people carry knowledge and are aware of it and need patience. ‘
Try to avoid calling or emailing local hospitals and / or health departments
Local health officials say they are inundated with phone calls and emails from people wanting information, to the point where it overloads their staff.
“We post information on our website, and we encourage people to check it out regularly,” Hirschenberger said. “We ask that people book our phone and email capacity for those who cannot easily access the online information.”
The same goes for Munson Healthcare, said Dianne Michalek, communications director for the hospital system, which serves the Traverse City area.
“Many of our switchboards and clinics are overloaded with phone calls and questions,” Michalek said. “It’s at a point where we can not answer everyone’s individual questions.”
People who do have individual questions are advised to call 211.
Employers may need the vaccine, but most do not
In theory, employers could order the vaccine. But because the vaccines have been approved by the Federal Medical Administration for emergency use, there is little or no requirement for the shots.
Read more on MLive:
What worked in 2020 and what should work for 12 Michigan schools in 2021
2020 was Michigan’s deadliest year on record, and COVID-19 was the killer no. 3
For Michiganders who are just eligible for vaccine, excitement is high, but details are few