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March 22 – DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said on Monday that adults whose jobs require them to work in the city and Detroit residents who work in the city or suburb are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine .
Eligibility is for those who are required to report for work, not those who can work remotely. The city has also expanded access to all Detroiters aged 16 or older with disabilities or underlying health conditions, including caregivers and guardians.
The two groups – more than 400,000 people, potentially represent the city’s largest expansion in eligibility to date, based on the number of businesses that require employees to return, city spokesman John said. Roach.
City health department staff will also perform on-site vaccinations at any business that may have 100 or more employees present at the same time.
“I really think the city can be fully open again by the summer,” Duggan said. “We must act now.”
For the next two weeks, Duggan said he was focusing on those who needed to return to work in the city.
“You work at any company in town … it doesn’t matter. If your job connects you with other people, you can call (313) 230-0505 and get an appointment this week.” , said Duggan. “Whether you are a Detroiter who works in the suburbs, you are eligible.”
A 2018 study by the University of Michigan found that 65,715 Detroit residents and 177,800 non-residents work in the city, while 148,000 Detroit residents work in the suburbs.
The expansion of eligibility comes as the city expects to receive a large allocation of doses from the federal government in the coming days.
Denise Fair, the city’s public health official, said the Detroit Department of Health is awaiting confirmation of when and how many doses it will receive on its first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which is expected next day. next week. Once the shipment is confirmed, the city will launch a mass vaccination site at the North West Activity Center at 18100 Meyers Road by the end of the month, she said.
“We look forward to receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccines so that we can provide our residents with another very effective vaccine. The Detroiters will now have the ability to select which vaccine they will receive and where they will receive it,” said Fair.
Increased positivity rate
The city’s positivity rate has more than doubled in the past 10 days as it approaches 200,000 doses.
“Detroit’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped from 2.8% to 6.3%. Our numbers are heading in the wrong direction,” Fair said. “Even in terms of hospitalizations, they are also increasing. Just a few weeks ago we were 69 hospital patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and now we are at 91. We are sounding the alarm bells.
Both problems mimic what is happening statewide. Michigan’s COVID-19 test positivity reached 7.47% last week, a 10-week high. Adult hospitalizations due to the virus on Monday were 1,404, a 50% increase from last week when there were 936 hospitalizations.
The state on Monday opened eligibility to all residents 50 and over and people 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities.
All Michigan residents aged 16 and over become eligible for vaccines on April 5. President Joe Biden had asked states to open eligibility to all adults by May 1.
The city has recorded 31,544 confirmed cases of the virus, resulting in 1,864 deaths.
In Detroit, 15% of residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That is compared to 27% in Outer Wayne County, 23% in Macomb, 27% in Oakland, 29% in Washtenaw and 26% in Michigan.
The city administered 85% of the 190,730 doses it received and has nearly 50,000 appointments scheduled between the TCF Center, senior Saturdays and satellite clinics organized by the health service.
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and a dozen members of the Michigan congressional delegation visited the Ford Field mass vaccination clinic on Monday as it prepares to open this week. The site will distribute 5,000 vaccines daily on site and another 1,000 daily through mobile clinics for the next eight weeks.
On Monday, Meijer registered 110,000 people on the FEMA site. About 14,000 people have dates scheduled and a further 20,000 invitations to meet will be sent by the end of the day, officials said.
The site operates with the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Henry Ford Health System provides medical surveillance.
How to book an appointment for a vaccine
To book an appointment at Ford Field, register online at clinic.meijer.com/register/CL2021. Text “EndCovid” to 75049 and select Ford Field as the location. Those who cannot connect online can call the MDHHS COVID-19 hotline at (888) 535-6136 (press 1).
Any large employer able to line up at least 100 employees in advance can request the Detroit Department of Health to perform on-site vaccinations by calling the Detroit Means Business call center at (844) 333-8249.
Senior Saturdays are now expanded to be referred to as “Community Saturdays” for all eligible. Residents can call (313) 230-0505 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday to make appointments at the TCF center or senior Saturday locations.
Meetings are available at the following locations:
– Institutional COGIC of Grand Emmanuel at 19190 Schaefer
– New Providence Baptist at 18211 Plymouth
– Galileo Baptist Church at 5251 E. Outer Drive
– Great Faith Ministries International at 10735 Grand River in Oakman
– Grace Community Church at 21001 Moross Road (second dose only)
– Kemeny Recreation Center at 2260 S. Fort Street (second dose only)
– Fellowship Chapel at 7707 W. Outer Drive (second dose only)
– Second Ebenezer Church at 14601 Dequindre (Second dose only)
Twitter: @SarahRahal_
Editor Craig Mauger contributed
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