(WWJ) FEMA is making plans for a mass vaccination site at Detroit's Ford Field, set to open later this month.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced that an eight-week mass vaccination site with the capacity to administer 6,000 doses each day will open on March 24 at Ford Field to serve residents all across metro Detroit.
The Biden Administration in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) selected southeast Michigan for this major new community vaccination site.
The site, which was selected according to the CDC’s priority tool to help those hardest hit and most vulnerable, will operate from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week, for eight weeks under the federal government's vaccination pilot program.
The facility will be managed by the State of Michigan with support from FEMA, Wayne County, the City of Detroit, Ford Field, Meijer, Henry Ford Health System, and the Lions.
“The safe and effective vaccine is the best way to protect Michiganders and their families, and it is essential to getting our country back to normal, so that we can all hug our loved ones, get back to work, and send our kids to school safely,” said Whitmer, in a statement. “I want to thank President Biden and FEMA for the opportunity to build one of the nation’s first community vaccination sites to service the entire Southeast Michigan region. Over one million Michiganders of all races have already been safely vaccinated, and this site will help us to reach our goal of equitably vaccinating 70% of Michiganders who are 16 years or older more quickly. Ramping up vaccine distribution will also help our economy recover faster and help save our small businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Let’s get to work, and let’s get it done.”
The news about the FEMA site comes the same day that Michigan announced it would be greatly expanding access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Starting March 22: Michiganders ages 16 and older with disabilities or medical conditions that put them at high risk of a negative COVID-19 outcome will become vaccine-eligible beginning Monday, March 22.
Starting April 5: All Michiganders age 16 and up who were not previously eligible will be eligible to receive a vaccine.
Related
Dan Shulman at FEMA told WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeill they will start taking appointments next week for those who are currently eligible.
He said appointments will be given out based on an index that priorities those considers most vulnerable.
"The emphasis that we are looking at in the early is on the areas with high social vulnerability, After all, that is the purpose of this site, which is to focus on those populations in the three counties in Detroit ... Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties," Shulman said.
Shulman said U.S. soldiers will be administering out most of the shots, beginning with the Pfizer vaccine.
He said some of the 6,000 or so shots per day will be administered on-site, while some of the distribution will be mobile.
"But Ford Field is just one part of of a much broader vaccination effort that the federal government and the State of Michigan are engaged in to get everyone that wants a shot a shot," Shulman said.
Lt. Gov. Garland Gilchrist said, after a year of "tremendous challenges and heartache," the new vaccine site at Ford Field will be a beacon of hope in a community that was hit hard by the devastating impacts of COVID-19.
“When we saw this virus targeting Black and Brown communities, Michigan got to work setting up one of the nation’s first task forces to help reduce the staggering, disproportionate rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths in communities of color," Gilchrist said. "As we continue to expand our state’s vaccine program, we must build upon the work that we’ve done in this space to ensure equitable access to this safe and effective vaccine. We can honor the legacies of the those we’ve lost to this virus by ensuring that we all get the vaccine when it is our turn.”
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health said the Ford Field site will help top accelerate Michigan’s vaccination efforts which she said "is our way to defeat the virus and return to normalcy.”
The vaccine will be offered at no cost, and insurance is not required, nor will it be requested at the vaccination center. Any Michigan resident who is currently eligible to receive the vaccine under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) vaccine prioritization guidance will be able to register for an appointment.
The site is not yet taking reservations, but specific instructions on how to book an appointment will be announced in the coming days. The most recent vaccine prioritization guidance can be found on Michigan’s COVID-19 website.
Related
