Michigan announced Friday that all residents 16 years of age or older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5, nearly a month before the date promised by President Joe Biden on May 1st.
Related: This is when you can choose the COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan
People aged 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities will qualify from March 22, when young people aged 50 to 64 can start receiving shots according to a prior announcement. Two days later, on March 24, a federally selected regional mass vaccination site will open at Detroit’s Ford Field to administer an additional 6,000 doses a day for two months.
“The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself, your family and others from the virus,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “It will help the country get back to normal and help the economy.”
The United States expects to have enough doses for adults by the end of May, but Biden has warned that the process of administering those doses will take time. As of Wednesday, about 22% of Michigan’s population aged 16 and over had been fully or partially vaccinated.
Related: The White House will open a COVID-19 regional vaccination site at Ford Field
The state health department said it could take “several weeks” beyond April 5 for anyone who wants the vaccine to have an appointment.
