Next in Line: City to Nearly Triple Number of Weekly Vaccinations, Mayor Expands Eligibility

Starting today, any Detroit resident age 65 or older can call to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the TCF Center, Mayor Mike Duggan announced today. The full list of eligible individuals now includes:

• Any resident of the City of Detroit who is age 65 or older (Updated)       
  • Meaning anyone born in 1955 or earlier
• K-12 teachers and support staff and daycare workers
• U.S. Post Office employees who live or work in Detroit
• Employees of the city of Detroit or city-related agencies who are working from their regular job site (employees working from home are not eligible at this time)
• State and federal law enforcement working in Detroit
• Members of the clergy interacting with members of their congregation
• Funeral home/mortuary employees working in Detroit
• Paid and unpaid persons in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials working in Detroit

At first, access to vaccinations in Detroit for residents was only for those ages 75 or older. But, the current call volume for scheduling requests is allowing Mayor Mike Duggan to lower the threshold for a third time to those 65 years of age or older — the youngest possible age under the current state guidelines.   

“I am deeply appreciative to Gov. Whitmer’s and President Biden’s administration for committing to a near tripling of our vaccine shipments,” Duggan said. “We currently have 10,000 Detroiters scheduled over the next four weeks and these extra doses will allow us to open up appointments to thousands more who have been waiting for the opportunity to be vaccinated.”

Part of the city’s additional allotment will be used to expand the Health Department’s efforts to vaccinate the city’s most vulnerable populations by visiting homeless shelters and senior citizen buildings, according to a press release. Currently, the city’s allotment of vaccines has allowed Health Department staff to visit two facilities per day to vaccinate about 560 people per week. With the increased allotment, the Health Department will be able to visit three to four facilities per day (depending on size) and vaccinate up to 1,000 residents and staff per week.

The Health Department also will start visiting other congregate settings operated by the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN), such as mental health facilities, substance abuse recovery centers, and other supportive housing units.

As of today, the city has scheduled received 18,450 vaccine doses and as of the end of the day, Wednesday had administered 80.9% of them, or 14.933. That includes more than 5,700 residents over the age of 68 and “Good Neighbor” drivers, 2,000 health care providers, 2,000 first responders, 2,500 teachers, and school staff, and other eligible individuals. Daily updated numbers are now available on a public dashboard accessible at www.detroitmi.gov. 

Eligible residents can call 313-230-0505 between 9 am and 6 pm, Monday-Friday to make an appointment. As of yesterday, the average wait time for callers who made it through the initial prompts to determine their eligibility was about 15 minutes. 

Detailed information on the TCF testing site is available at www.detroitmi.gov. As additional independent vaccination sites at pharmacies and elsewhere come online in the city, a map of locations will be added to the website. 

Vaccinations will be administered by appointment only. Workers and residents will not be vaccinated without having first made an appointment. Individuals calling the scheduling number at 313-230-0505.

Senior scheduling appointments will be required to provide their name, residence address, and age. For better efficiency and convenience, the city is recommending that when possible, eligible members of the same family or neighbors schedule jointly and arrive in the same vehicle. Group B essential workers will be required to provide the name of their employer and their most recent pay stub to verify their eligibility, the release added.

When they schedule their appointment, individuals will be provided two appointment dates, one for the first dose and another for the required second dose. Call center staff will contact each scheduled person before their second appointment to remind them. Individuals also will be given instructions on when and where to arrive at the TCF Center, where they will be required to fill out a basic consent form.

After receiving their vaccination, individuals will be required to remain in their vehicles inside the TCF garage for a period of approximately 15 minutes to make sure they are not experiencing any side effects. Medical staff will be on hand to assist any who may experience any side effects. Appointments should last approximately one hour once the person enters the TCF garage.

A vaccine dashboard is now online at www.detroitmi.gov.

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