All Michigan Adults Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines Starting April 5

DETROIT, MI – All Michganders age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5, officials said Friday, following an announcement from the White House that a new mass COVID-19 vaccination site is expected open in Detroit by March 24.

The new vaccination site will be located at Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions, and will be able to administer 6,000 shots per day — 5,000 shots on-site and 1,000 shots through a mobile vaccination location.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also announced Friday that Michigan residents over the age of 16 with disabilities or medical conditions will be eligible to receive the vaccine starting March 22, and everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5.

Medical providers will be encouraged to schedule appointments and allocate the vaccine to residents based on highest risk, including older residents, essential workers and front-line workers. The most recent vaccine prioritization guidelines are located on Michigan's COVID-19 website.

"The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect you, your family and others from the virus," Whitmer said in her announcement. "It will help the country get back to normal and help the economy."

More than 2.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have already been administered in Michigan, according to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at the state health department.

"We will continue to focus our efforts on removing barriers to access for our most vulnerable to exposure and those at highest risk of severe illness due to COVID-19," Khaldun said in the announcement.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has allocated $27.5 million and has deployed more than 25 federal personnel to support the vaccination efforts statewide. In the coming weeks, the White House will deploy federal teams to work with state and local jurisdictions and will provide limited direct allocation to the site through FEMA.

Officials said Ford Field was selected because it is well known to those who live and work in the area and is accessible under guidelines by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act. It also has a capacity of 10,000 and convenient access to parking and public transportation, as well as existing security and crowd control infrastructure in place.

Southern Michigan has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially communities of color in the Greater Detroit area, according to health officials. Wayne County has been hit the hardest, with 4,186 coronavirus-related deaths and 105,000 confirmed cases to date.

Detroit is home to a large number of elderly and minority communities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index, which helps emergency planners and public health officials identify communities in need. The population over 65 is 14.7 percent, the African American population is 38.9 percent, and the Hispanic population is 5.9 percent.

In addition to Wayne County, Oakland and Macomb counties were also identified as communities in need by the Social Vulnerability Index, which also factored into the selection of Ford Field as the mass vaccination site.

Those eligible to receive a vaccine should:

• Check the website of the local health department or hospital to find out their process or for registration forms.
• Check additional vaccination sites, such as local pharmacies Meijer, Rite Aid or Cardinal Health.
• Call the COVID-19 hotline at 888-535-6136 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.