(WWJ) COVID-19 vaccine availability in Michigan will be expanding on Monday, March 8.
Anyone 50 and older with an underlying health condition will be eligible for the vaccine starting Monday.
Caregiver family members and guardians to children with “special healthcare needs” will also be eligible.
Beginning March 22, the vaccinations will be open to anyone 50 or older regardless of their health status.
State health officials say you must make an appointment in the vast majority of cases to get the vaccine as availability remains limited but continues to improve, as more options come online.
According to the State’s COVID Vaccine Dashboard; Michigan has already received more than 82,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the most recent to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization just over a week ago.
Even if you do meet the requirements, you may not be able to get a vaccine right away.
How do you get the vaccine?
Counties:
Macomb County will start vaccinating residents or people who work in the county 50+ with “underlying health conditions or mental conditions” starting Monday.
An alert on the website says all appointments are filled for the week and they can not schedule anymore appointments. When more become available, click here to schedule online or call 586-463-8777.
Oakland County said it will also open up vaccines to residents 50+ with underlying health conditions and caregivers to “older adults or anyone with special healthcare needs”
You can schedule an appointment here or by calling 810-331-0902.
Wayne County’s website does not mention expanding eligibility to the aforementioned groups as they remain in Phase 1A, and in certain subgroups of Phase 1B.
Dearborn residents (and people from six surrounding communities) 65 and over can get the vaccine from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday at the Ford Performing Arts Center. To get a vaccine there, you must make an appointment here.
Residents 65+ from the following communities are also eligible for vaccines at the aforementioned clinic: Dearborn Heights, Inkster, Redford, Allen Park, Garden City and Melvindale.
Pop-up vaccine clinics are showing up in locations around the county. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 on air, online and on Radio.com app for updates on locations.
Pharmacies/Grocery Chains:
Meijer is offering the COVID-19 vaccine at select locations across the state. Click here to register.
Michigan is one of six states where Rite Aid pharmacies will have the vaccine. It is available at locations in “all counties.” However, as of now, it is only available to people 65+ and essential workers. Schedule here.
According to the Kroger website, vaccines will be coming soon to Kroger pharmacies in the state.
CVS:
As of now, CVS pharmacies in Michigan do not give out the vaccine.
Local Health Systems:
In an alert on its website, Beaumont says it currently has 150,000 eligible patients 65+ who still have not received an invitation to schedule a vaccine.
“At this time, our teams are having thoughtful, robust discussions about how to incorporate the newly released expanded guidelines into our vaccine process.”
Additional information will be announced soon, the statement read.
Patients should sign up through myBeaumontChart to receive an invitation to schedule the vaccine.
If you have trouble signing up, call 1-800-592-478 and follow their prompt for help.
Henry Ford says in a statement on its website they are “prioritizing vaccines for patients by age and certain high-risk conditions”
“If you are an established Henry Ford patient, we will contact you by text, email or phone when you become eligible to receive a vaccine and as appointments become available. We will reach out to you based on the contact information you have provided to us,” the statement read.
Patients are encouraged to sign up for Henry Ford MyChart to “streamline the scheduling and notification process”
In an online statement, the health system said it “is currently working to provide vaccines to more than 150,000 established patients age 65 and above, starting with the most medically vulnerable, at our regional community vaccination clinic sites across the state.”
They added they are currently receiving “significantly less” supply than they have the ability to administer, as hospitals only receive about 40% of the state’s vaccine supply to split among themselves.
Ascension is individually contacting eligible patients by phone, text or email. Patients are urged to look for other alternatives for receiving the vaccine
As of Sunday night, DMC is offering vaccines to:
Individuals over 65 and a variety of essential workers. See the complete list and schedule an appointment at the above link.
If you don’t have internet access or need help scheduling a vaccine, call the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136.
For more information on the vaccine visit:
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services FAQ on vaccine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Info on COVID-19 vaccine