DETROIT – City officials said Detroit is ready to ramp up its vaccination process.
According to Mayor Mike Duggan, COVID vaccinations are going to increase three-fold as vaccines are made available to all Detroit residents 65 and older.
READ: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases
The city expects it will go from vaccinating 5,000 people a week to 15,000 each week.
Duggan leaned hard on the federal government to ship the vaccine directly to the Detroit Health Department.
READ: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Jan. 28, 2021
The city has shown its TCF Center clinic is working. Where people outside of Detroit are forced to fumble with websites, low supply and few appointments, there’s only one city in the country that residents can get someone on the phone.
As of Jan. 27, the average wait time for callers who made it through the initial prompts to determine their eligibility was about 15 minutes.
Vaccinations will be administered by appointment only. Workers and residents will not be vaccinated without having first made an appointment.
Any Detroiter age 65 or older now can start scheduling appointments at 313-230-0505
Duggan’s background is in running hospitals. He was in charge of the Detroit Medical Center when drive-thru vaccinations were set up during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009.
The full list of eligible individuals now includes:
- Any resident of the City of Detroit who is age 65 or older
- K-12 teachers and support staff and day care workers
- Post Office Employees who live or work in Detroit
- Employees of the City of Detroit or city-related agencies who are working from their regular job site
- State and Federal Law enforcement working in Detroit
- Members of the Clergy interacting with members of their congregation
- Funeral Home/mortuary employees working in Detroit
Eligible residents can call 313-230-0505 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m, Monday-Friday to make an appointment.
More information can be found on the city of Detroit’s official website here.
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