Michigan Medicine begins vaccination of patients 65 years and older next week

ANN ARBOR Michigan Medicine plans to start administering the COVID-19 vaccine to patients 65 years of age or older, as it moves into its new priority phase next week.

Starting Monday, the healthcare system will begin sending out invitations to its patients in this age group under the care of a Michigan Medicine primary care provider to schedule appointments via the MyUofMHealth portal or by mail. Those who have visited any medical provider in Michigan over the past two years can also receive the vaccine.

Vaccination sites at Michigan Medicine are closed to the public and require an appointment.

Each week, the available appointments will depend on the supply, but the heath system hopes to have all patients in this group planning to get the vaccine within the next two to three months.

“Michigan Medicine continues into this phase in partnership with the state, local health departments and other health systems in our region to vaccinate our community as quickly as possible,” said Sandro Cinti, MD, one of the leaders in Michigan Medicine’s vaccination distribution and professor of infectious diseases at UM Medical School said in a statement.

“We would not have been able to almost complete Phase 1A without the collaborative partnership with all of these groups, including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.”

More than 200,000 patients fall into category 65 and older in the state of Michigan. Invitations to schedule the first dose of the vaccine will be sent in batches, subject to availability.

To date, Michigan Medicine has received 21,700 doses of the Pfizer Inc./BioNTech vaccine and vaccinated 13,863 individuals in the first phase of Phase 1A, including physicians, medical staff, and health care students under state and federal guidelines.

In the next few days, thousands of appointments have already been scheduled – some for second doses – as Michigan Medicine works to use as much of its current vaccine supply as possible. It is estimated that he administers more than 90 percent of his offer each week.

Next week more shipments are expected, but the exact number of incoming vaccines is unknown. Michigan Medicine hopes to increase its efforts to administer 3,400 vaccinations daily at various locations, depending on supply.

Michigan Stadium was recently opened as a vaccination site. Michigan Medicine provides vaccines seven days a week with plans to add locations across campus.

“This is a major milestone in our efforts to fight the COVID-19 virus,” Cinti said in a statement. ‘We are delighted to be able to offer this life-saving vaccine to vulnerable patients. Our best tactic to combat this pandemic is to get this safe, effective vaccine for as many people as quickly as possible. In doing so, we also support vaccination efforts for communities across the state. ”

Achieving color communities is a top priority for Michigan Medicine, which has launched a strong community outreach effort, including a January 16 free virtual city hall titled “COVID-19 and the African-American Community.”

“It is crucial that we all have an open discussion about the safety and efficacy of this vaccine, but especially for the color communities who have long been concerned about and distrustful of the vaccination they have had in the past,” Tony said. Denton, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the University of Michigan health system, who leads the community outreach and education effort, said in a statement.

“We acknowledge that these problems exist and want to remove any barriers and provide factual information to ensure fair and ethical delivery of healthcare in all populations. We plan to invite color communities and engage in open discussions to address fears, explore the science of clinical trials, and build trust for individuals and families to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This is one of the most important public health efforts of our lifetime. We want to make a real difference in addressing fair access. ‘

Transition to individuals 65 years of age or older must be vaccinated under Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccination plan. On Wednesday, government officials approved the distribution of vaccines from Monday.

Michigan Medicine is responsible for vaccinating the entire University of Michigan on its three campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint.

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