DETROIT – Nursing homes have been ground zero for the spread of COVID-19, especially at the start of the pandemic.
Getting a vaccine into those facilities could be a challenge -- especially when some residents and their families aren’t sold on being among the first to get it. Some families have different views on the COVID-19 vaccine.
READ: Michigan nursing homes prepare for potential COVID-19 vaccine
Karen Vanderkloot DiChiera, who alongside David DiChiera, built the Michigan Opera Theatre brand -- was already living with dementia. The day before Easter she played the piano for the last time. On Easter Sunday, she had a stroke. Her daughter, Lisa, said she wishes desperately that a COVID-19 vaccine could have been available.
But Kelly Ryeson has a father in law who is in a nursing care center. She said that even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that nursing and home long-term facilities and their employees be among the first in line to get the vaccine when it is rolled out -- it’s still too soon.
“Knowing this vaccine is rushed makes me nervous,” Ryeson said. “There’s a safety issue for all involved.”
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
READ: COVID-19 vaccine could become available as early as Dec. 15, Michigan health official says
Watch the video above for the full report.