ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – It has been 11 long months of isolation for the people living at the Bellbrook Retirement Community in Rochester Hills.
But now after residents got that second dose the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter than ever.
If it was possible to dance a jig at 97-years-old, Maggie Kmiecik would be doing it.
“I’ll be 98 in March,” she said.
She excitedly waited Monday for her second dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine at Bellbrook Retirement Community.
Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases
And then the moment arrived. She became part of a painfully small club in the United States. As of Tuesday, the CDC reported more than 22 million COVID vaccines have been administered.
She’s gotten two of them and can now count down the moments to be reunited with her grandsons.
It has been a difficult period for the Bellbrook Retirement Community. Like other care facilities, they were blindsided by COVID.
On Monday, there was a watershed moment as staff and community members alike rolled up their sleeves for the final dose.
Now moving forward fewer restrictions will be in place and plans can be made for visitors to see family members.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 552,556 as of Tuesday, including 14,405 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update includes 1,476 new cases and 79 additional deaths -- 44 from a vital records review.