Michigan enters a new vaccination phase on Monday amid delayed release

DETROIT – Michigan will move on to the next phase of vaccinations on Monday, which includes teachers, first aid, daycare providers and residents aged 65 and over.

Their employers will receive notification from eligible essential workers, teachers and caregivers about the dates and locations of vaccine clinics, Governor Whitmer said. Eligible residents should not go to any of the clinics without an appointment.

Residents may not be able to get an appointment right away and availability varies by region.

The new phase is a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still major problems and struggles to meet demand.

As eligibility has increased, so has demand. There were so many attempts to get the first dose of vaccine, that the state’s largest hospital system, Beaumont Health, suffered a complete system block.

As the group of people who can get vaccinated grows, supply has remained well below expectations.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel criticized the governor and said the county is capable of handling 50,000 vaccines a week, but has only received 1,000.

“I’ll just say this, the governor promised something that statewide health departments can’t deliver,” Hackel said.

Whitmer said the state has received 60,000 vaccines from Pfizer each week and that they have been shipped constantly. He repeated his call for more help from the federal government on Friday.

“We still need a national strategy. I’ve been saying for months, whether it was to get masks, from the beginning or to do tests or economic recovery or relief, now vaccines, “said Whitmer. “There is no national strategy yet.”

Because the supply of the vaccine is limited, residents must make an appointment. You can find more information on how to set up an appointment here.

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