Michigan enters a new vaccination phase on Monday, amid a delayed launch

DETROIT – Michigan will move into the next phase of vaccinations on Monday, which includes teachers, nurses, childcare providers and residents aged 65 and over.

Eligible key employers, teachers and child care workers will be informed by their employers about vaccine clinic data and locations, Governor Whitmer said. Eligible residents must not go to any clinic without an appointment.

Residents may not be able to get an appointment right away, and availability varies by region.

The new phase is a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still major problems and struggles to meet demand.

As eligibility increases, so does demand. There have been so many attempts to get the first dose of vaccine that the state’s largest hospital system – Beaumont Health – has had a complete system crash.

As the group of those who can be vaccinated grows, supply has fallen far short of expectations.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel criticized the governor and said the county was able to handle 50,000 vaccines a week, but received only 1,000.

“I will just say this, the governor has promised something that health departments across the state cannot provide,” Hackel said.

Whitmer said the state receives 60,000 vaccines from Pfizer each week and that they have been shipped constantly. She reiterated her call for more help from the federal government on Friday.

“We still need a national strategy. I’ve been saying for months, whether it was about getting masks, the beginning or the testing or the economic recovery or the improvement – now vaccines “, said Whitmer. “There is no national strategy yet.”

As the supply of vaccine is limited, residents must have an appointment. More information on how to set up a meeting can be found here.

READ: 6 payments from Governor Whitmer’s COVID briefing