ANN ARBOR – The Washtenaw County Health Department has announced it will be expanding its COVID-19 vaccination and booster efforts during the month of October.
From drive-thru and walk-in clinics to community pop-up clinics, Health Department officials said they are working to make vaccination against the novel coronavirus as accessible as possible.
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“Vaccination remains our best protection against severe COVID illness and death,” health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department Jimena Loveluck said in a release. “We have prioritized making COVID vaccination as easy as possible, but also want to remind everyone that vaccination is now widely available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies.
“We continue to use multiple strategies to ensure equitable access to vaccine and booster doses. Please get vaccinated or boosted wherever is most accessible for you.”
Booster shots are now available to eligible adults who received two initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation, boosters can be administered six months after the second dose if individuals are:
- Older adults (65 years and older)
- Adults in long-term care or other institutional settings
- People aged 18-64 years with certain underlying health conditions
- Adults working in certain jobs where they are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19
- First responders (healthcare workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff)
- Education staff (teachers, support staff, daycare workers)
- Food and agriculture workers
- Manufacturing workers
- Corrections workers
- U.S. Postal Service workers
- Public transit workers
- Grocery store workers
October drive-thru clinics
The drive-thru clinics will be held outside the Health Department’s offices at 555 Towner Street in Ypsilanti. Those seeking walk-in vaccination will also be accommodated.
To receive a Pfizer booster, individuals are asked to bring identification and their vaccination card, if possible.
Members of the National Guard will be onsite to assist with the clinics, and all individuals must wait 15 minutes following vaccination to monitor for adverse symptoms.
Drive-thru dates and times:
- Every Tuesday through Friday in October: Oct. 5–Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 23: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If your school, business or organization is interested in holding a community pop-up vaccine clinic, you are asked to contact the Health Department.
First-time vaccinations
For individuals who have yet to be vaccinated, all three vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson will be available at the drive-thru clinics.
Currently, Pfizer is the only fully approved vaccine that has been recommended as a booster.
According to the Health Department, immunocompromised individuals are eligible to receive a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna shots at least 28 days after their second dose.
COVID in Washtenaw County
According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, community transmission of COVID-19 remains high in Washtenaw County.
The Health Department continues to strongly recommend wearing face masks in indoor public spaces.
Under local health orders, masks are required in all K-12 schools.
Since late summer, COVID activity in Washtenaw County has been trending up, with roughly 60-80 cases per day and a test positivity rate of approximately 4%. COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths primarily among unvaccinated individuals have also been on the rise, according to the Health Department.
Washtenaw County reported that 72.8% of individuals 16 years of age and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Sept. 27, while 60.3% of the entire population of the county is fully vaccinated.
For more information about local vaccination, visit the county’s vaccine data website.
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