Two days later, on March 24, a federally selected local mass vaccination facility in Ford Field in downtown Detroit will be open to administer an additional 6,000 doses per day for two months.
“The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect you, your family and others from the virus,” Whitmer said in a statement. “It will help the country return to normal and help the economy.”
The US expects to have enough doses for adults by the end of May, but Biden warned that the process of administering the doses would take time.
As of Wednesday, about 22 percent of Michigan’s 16-year-olds and older had been completely or partially vaccinated; more than 2.7 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been administered to date.
The Department of Health and Human Services in Michigan said it could take a few weeks after April 5 for Michigan residents over the age of 16 who want the vaccine to get an appointment.
Whitmer has set a state goal to vaccinate 70 percent of residents over the age of 16 to secure herd immunity.
State health officials are urging medical providers to consider the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at work and its vulnerability to the disease when planning vaccinations for vaccination.
Since medical workers were first vaccinated in late December, the Whitmer administration has gradually begun vaccinations, starting with teachers, police officers, firefighters, child care workers and individuals over the age of 65, before moving to the agricultural and food processors. work.
On Monday this week, medical providers were allowed to allow adults over 50 with disabilities or certain medical conditions to line up for a vaccination survey with medical providers, pharmacies and local health departments.
Parents and guardians of children with special health care needs were also eligible for the vaccine on Monday.
As of March 22, individuals with disabilities between the ages of 16-49 and all adults over the age of 50 are eligible to receive the vaccine within two weeks before the rest of the population can be vaccinated to protect COVID-19 from serious diseases.
“This is welcome news,” said Michelle Roberts, executive director of Disability Rights Michigan, in a statement. “Since the vaccination began in Michigan, we have insisted that all people with disabilities should be higher on the vaccine priority. It could really be a matter of life or death.”
The medical conditions that enable individuals over 16 to be vaccinated from 22 March include:
- asthma
- cerebrovascular disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- dementia and other neurological conditions
- HIV
- hypertension or high blood pressure
- immune deficiency
- liver disease
- pulmonary fibrosis
- thalassemia
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- weakened immune system due to blood or bone marrow transplant
- anyone taking corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs
In addition to Meijer and Rite Aid, supermarket chains Kroger and Walmart this week began vaccinating COVID at pharmacies in certain Michigan stores.
Crain’s senior editor, Chad Livengood, contributed to this report.