COCID-19 vaccine to become available April 5 to Michigan residents 16 and older

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On March 12, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that all Michigan residents 16 and older would be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5. Eligibility doesn’t mean you will immediately be able to get a shot in your arm.

Sparrow Hospital pharmacy director Todd Belding said the demand for the vaccine far outweighs the supply. “We are well short of the demand currently,” Belding said. “We are getting about 3,000 vaccines a week, and the demand is well above that.”

Belding explained that the state distributes the vaccine to each county based on population and a county’s social vulnerability index and that the number of vaccines each county and vaccination site will receive is not up to recipients. Michigan will receive 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week and an additional 800,000 next week, which the state will distribute. Belding said he hopes that this will help with the demand Sparrow is receiving. “We opened about 1,200 appointments a week through the end of April, and they were gone in a couple of hours,” Belding said. “The demand out there is a lot bigger than the supply.”

While Sparrow does everything it can to get more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Michigan State University is taking a different approach. Elizabeth Carr, the marketing and communication manager for student health and wellness at MSU said that the university has not requested any doses of the vaccine. “At this time, the University is not directly administering the vaccine,” Carr said. However, she didn’t rule it out saying, “as we learn more about the state distribution plans and its availability to our students, faculty, and staff, we’ll be sure to share updates.” The university nonetheless is helping students find where they can get a vaccination on its website.

While many people will be eager to get a vaccine as fast as they can, it’s important to remain patient during this time Belding said. With demand high and supply low, it’s tough to predict how long it will actually take to get a vaccine. “I really don’t have a timeline,” Belding said when talking about how long people might be on a waitlist. “It really depends on vaccine supply.” While most vaccines coming into Sparrow are Pfizer or Moderna, the hospital system is also getting the new ‘one-shot’ Johnson and Johnson vaccine. To get an appointment with Sparrow, go to Sparrow.org/vaccine or Michigan.gov/coronavirus to find your nearest vaccination site. Sparrow is vaccinating only at its main hospital but hopes to expand to its pharmacies and urgent care locations as the vaccine becomes more available, Belding said.

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