DETROIT – Mayor Mike Duggan on Monday announced Detroit’s plan for administering a third COVID-19 vaccine dose to vulnerable populations as virus spread once again increases across the region.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week approved administering a third COVID vaccination to individuals with weakened immune systems to help provide them with increased immunity from the virus.
Duggan, alongside the city’s chief public health officer Denise Fair, explained a new plan to provide vulnerable Detroit residents with a third vaccine dose -- which looks awfully similar to the city’s vaccination operation earlier this year.
The CDC’s decision comes as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise throughout the country. Since July 1, Michigan’s 7-day moving case average has increased from 135 to 1,233, and virus hospitalizations have nearly tripled.
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According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 98% of new COVID-19 cases from Jan. 15 to July 21 were people who were unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated for the virus. Officials said 95% of hospitalized COVID patients were unvaccinated.
The rise in virus spread in recent weeks is largely driven by a mutation of the coronavirus called the delta variant. Officials have pushed for a third “booster” shot for added protection for vulnerable populations, as the delta variant is more transmissible.
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