VIRUS VACCINATION EFFORT EXPANDING
Clinic hours added to Verkuilen Building operation; increase in sites expected soon
The Macomb County Health Department has expanded capacity at its COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic in Clinton Township.
The clinic, which is located at the county’s Verkuilen Building, will operate from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting Tuesday, March 30. The Health Department will also increase the number of doses given per hour by 25%, going from 12,000 distributed each week to 17,500.
“With these increases and expansions, we will be able to serve a greater number of individuals in our county,” said Andrew Cox, director, Macomb County Health Department. “This puts us much closer to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and helps us further protect the health and well-being of our community.”
Updates to the county’s Sterling Heights vaccine clinic and its Richmond/Lenox EMS site have also been announced. Starting March 24, both sites will also increase the number of doses given per hour by 25%.
In addition, those who live or work in Macomb County will now be able to use the online scheduler to choose a location for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
For now, those options include the Verkuilen Building in Clinton Township, the Sterling Heights Senior Center or the Richmond/Lenox EMS site. Macomb County expects to name additional vaccination locations soon. These will be added as options to the online scheduler.
“As eligibility opens up, Macomb County will continue to
find innovative solutions for serving our population,” said County Executive Mark Hackel. “From partnering with SMART to organizing drive through vaccination sites, the county is working to remove barriers and to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine can receive one.”
As of March 16, the most-recent update of the Macomb County government dashboard, the county had received 131,966 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and administered 92,306 shots.
To learn more about Macomb County’s vaccination efforts, visit macombgov.org.
The enhanced local effort comes as infections have begun to spike. A release from the Macomb County Public Works Office Tuesday indicated that sewage sampling revealed that the current surge of positives is likely to continue in the coming week.
Meanwhile, regional efforts to distribute vaccine are increasing. As pharmacies in Macomb County including Meijer, CVS and Walgreens have begun to administer more doses, a federal regional site at Ford Field offered its first full day of shots Wednesday. It is expected 6,000 shots a day will be administered there.
Residents age 50 and older became eligible for vaccines as of Monday.
However, the state’s COVID-19 cases have been increasing. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said the state’s case rate spiked 77% over the past four weeks to 172.9 cases per million people.
As of Monday, any Michigander age 50 and older is eligible to receive the vaccine. Also anyone 16 and older with medical conditions or disabilities is eligible. Beginning on April 5, all Michiganders ages 16 and older will qualify for the vaccine.