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Michiganders
Over Age
65, Some
Frontline
Essential
Workers
Can
Receive
Safe,
Effective
COVID-19
Vaccine
Starting
Monday
Michigan
entering
next
phase
for
COVID-19
vaccinations
LANSING,
MICH. To
help
reach
the
state’s
goal of
vaccinating
70% of
Michiganders
over age
16 and
bring a
quicker
end to
the
COVID-19
pandemic
in
Michigan,
Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer
and
Michigan
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(MDHHS)
officials
today
announced
the
state is
moving
to a new
phase of
vaccination
on
Monday,
Jan. 11.
MDHHS is
moving
forward
with
vaccination
of
Michiganders
age 65
and
older;
frontline
essential
workers
including
police
officers,
first
responders,
frontline
state
and
federal
workers
and jail
and
prison
staff;
and
preK-12
teachers
and
childcare
providers.
To date,
80% of
deaths
have
occurred
among
those
age 65
and
older.
In
addition
to
vaccinating
Michiganders
who are
75+ in
Phase 1B
(Phase
1B,
Group
A),
MDHHS is
accelerating
to
vaccinate
individuals
65-74
years
old
(Phase
1C Group
A).
MDHHS is
accelerating
implementation
of
vaccination
of
individuals
65-74
years
due to
concern
around
disparity
in life
expectancy
by
race/ethnicity
for this
group
(Phase
1C,
Group
A).
“The
more
people
we can
get the
safe and
effective
vaccine,
the
faster
we can
return
to a
sense of
normalcy,”
said
Governor
Whitmer.
“I urge
all
seniors
to get
the
COVID-19
vaccine
as soon
as
possible
and that
all
Michiganders
to make
a plan
to get
vaccinated
when it
becomes
available
to you.
And as
always:
mask up,
practice
safe
social
distancing,
and
avoid
indoor
gatherings
where
COVID-19
can
easily
spread
from
person
to
person.
We will
eliminate
this
virus
together.”
“We
are
pleased
to move
the
state
forward
in the
next
stage of
vaccinations,”
said Dr.
Joneigh
Khaldun,
chief
medical
executive
and
chief
deputy
for
health.
“These
vaccines
are safe
and
effective,
and we
especially
want our
first
responders,
teachers
and
older
adults
to get
vaccinated
as soon
as
possible.
The
strategy
we are
announcing
today is
efficient,
effective,
and
equitable,
focusing
on
making
vaccine
available
to those
who have
the
highest
level of
risk,
whether
it is
because
of where
they
work or
because
of their
age.”
All
counties
may
begin
vaccinating
residents
over age
65 and
seniors
are
urged to
visit
Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine
to find
local
health
departments
and
other
local
vaccine
clinics
near
them
that are
ready to
book
appointments.
Eligible
essential
workers,
teachers
and
childcare
workers
will be
notified
by their
employers
about
vaccine
clinic
dates
and
locations.
Eligible
individuals
should
not go
to any
of the
clinics
without
an
appointment.
It is
important
to note
that
there is
limited
vaccine
available
in the
state,
and so
there
will be
limited
appointments
available.
As more
vaccine
becomes
available,
the
state
will be
able to
move
more
quickly
through
the
priority
groups.
MDHHS is
following
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
recommendations
for
prioritization
of
distribution
and
administration
of
COVID-19
vaccines.
CDC
recommendations
are
based on
input
from the
Advisory
Committee
on
Immunization
Practices
(ACIP),
the
federal
advisory
committee
made up
of
medical
and
public
health
experts
who
develop
recommendations
on the
use of
vaccines
in the
United
States.
Phases
are as
follows:
• Phase 1A: Paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home as well as residents in long term care facilities.
• Phase 1B: Persons 75 years of age or older and frontline essential workers in critical infrastructure.
• Phase 1C: Individuals 16 years of age or older at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 infection and some other essential workers whose position impacts life, safety and protection during the COVID-19 response.
• Phase 2: Individuals 16 years of age or older. |
These
prioritizations
may
change
as more
information
on
vaccine
effectiveness
and
additional
vaccination
products
become
available.
MDHHS
has
provided
additional
prioritization
guidance
within
these
categories.
It is
important
to note
that
vaccination
in one
phase
may not
be
complete
before
vaccination
in
another
phase
begins.
There
may be
vaccination
of
individuals
in
different
phases
that
occur
simultaneously.
The
timing
of the
start of
vaccination
in a
phase is
dependent
on the
supply
of
vaccine
from the
manufacturer,
how
vaccine
is
allocated
from the
federal
level to
Michigan
and the
capacity
to
administer
the
vaccine
to
populations.
Decisions
on
moving
to the
next
phase
will be
made at
the
state
level.
More
than
140,000
of
Moderna
and
Pfizer
COVID-19
vaccine
have
been
administered
to
health
care
workers
with
more
than
8,000 of
those
doses
going to
nursing
home
residents
and
staff.
This
data is
being
tracked
on the
COVID-19
Vaccine
Dashboard,
which
also
includes
information
on the
number
of
providers
enrolled
to
provide
the
vaccine
and
vaccination
coverage
rates by
age and
race.
Even
with
COVID-19
vaccinations
starting
in
Michigan
and
worldwide,
Khaldun
urges
everyone
to
continue
to
practice
preventative
measures
such as
properly
wearing
masks,
social
distancing
and
frequent
handwashing
to
reduce
the
spread
of the
virus
until
the vast
majority
of
people
have
been
vaccinated.
There
will be
no
out-of-pocket
costs to
individuals
for the
vaccine,
however,
healthcare
providers
may bill
insurance
for
administrative
costs.
The
COVID-19
vaccine
will
require
two
doses,
separated
by three
or four
weeks
depending
on the
manufacturer.
Michiganders
should
receive
both
doses in
order to
have
full
protection
from the
virus.
Individuals
who
receive
the
vaccine
may
experience
mild
side
effects
such as
low-grade
fever,
sore arm
and
general
discomfort,
which
indicate
that the
vaccine
is
working.
There is
a robust
state
and
national
process
for
tracking
vaccines
and
reporting
side
effects.
Michigan
residents
seeking
more
information
about
the
COVID-19
vaccine
can
visit
Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine.
As
additional
information
and
resources
become
available,
it will
be
posted
to this
site.
Information
around
this
outbreak
is
changing
rapidly.
The
latest
information
is
available
at
Michigan.gov/Coronavirus
and
CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
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