(WWJ) Beaumont Health System has announced it will open up vaccine appointments for patients 65 and older beginning on Monday as the state moves to Phase 1B of its COVID-19 vaccination plan.
In an email sent to patients, Beaumont announced they are “committed to vaccinating as many people as possible.”
The Health System said it will be able to vaccinate more than 3,200 people per day as of now, with the goal of ramping up to an even greater number as additional sites open up.
An appointment is required in order to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is not like a flu shot. You cannot walk up to a facility or call and demand a vaccine. There is simply not enough vaccine today for that to work at this particular time,” Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said.
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Beaumont patients who are 65 and older should take the following steps to schedule their appointment come Monday.
Log in to your myBeaumontChart account and confirm your current email address is listed on your account.
Then, look for a message in your personal email from oneChartAMB.oneChartAMB@beaumont.org. It will arrive as soon as you are eligible to schedule your vaccination.
When you receive the email, open the message and click the link to schedule your vaccination.
Beaumont patients who do not have a MyBeaumontChart can create one here. The website is experiencing delays.
“Due to anticipated overwhelming demand, we are unable to answer individual questions about the vaccine,” the Health System said in the email to patients.
They have created a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Henry Ford Health System sent a similar email to patients, asking them to take a short survey about their interest in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and to sign up for a Henry Ford MyChart, if they don't already have one.
Under Phase B, certain frontline workers are also eligible. The Health System urged them to contact their local health department or their employer to learn their options.
Phase 1B includes:
- Michigan resident age 65 and older
- Police officers
- First responders
- Frontline state and federal workers
- Jail and prison staff
- PreK-12 teachers
- Childcare providers
Health officials have warned that vaccines will be limited at first, so it may be difficult to get an appointment.
“These vaccines are safe and effective, and we especially want our first responders, teachers and older adults to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Khaldun said.
Individuals in Phase 1C are not eligible for vaccinations right now. That includes: people 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.
The state will announce when it’s ready to begin Phase 1C.
Phase 2 will eventually kick off with a mass campaign to inoculate all Michiganders 16 and older. Health officials have said they expect the vaccine to be available to the general public by March or April.
Over 725,850 vaccinations have been distributed in Michigan. The data is tracked on the COVID Vaccine Distribution Dashboard, including about 245,100 distributed to long term facilities. Census.gov estimated Michigan has a total population of about 9.9 million people as of July 2019.
Additional resources:
Michigan.gov Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 vaccine
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention information about the vaccine