Rites Aid locations in six states, including Michigan, and two other jurisdictions will have the vaccine available.

Rites Aid locations in six states, including Michigan, and two other jurisdictions will have the vaccine available.

It’s been a hectic few days in terms of COVID-19 news in Michigan, with discussions about whether new restrictions are needed, an extension of emergency workplace rules and questions surrounding vaccines.

FILE - This Saturday, March 6, 2021 file photo shows vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the pharmacy of National Jewish Hospital for distribution in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)The state of Michigan announced Friday, March 12 that every resident 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5. Michigan's estimated schedule for first doses administered as of March 12, 021 (MDHHS)View PDF: Michigan’s vaccination phases and priority groups“The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect you, your family and others from the virus,” said Gov. I urge all eligible Michiganders to get one of the three COVID-19 vaccines. From the CDC: Information about COVID-19 Vaccines for People who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding

Though the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine has lagged behind expectations in Michigan and across the country, Michigan officials say they think the state is currently on the right track. During a news conference on Friday, Michigan’s chief medical executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun outlined the state’s vaccine distribution progress so far. With over 598,000 doses of the COVID-19 safe and effective vaccine going in arms,” Khaldun said. “I have been calling on the federal government to take this action for quite a while,” Whitmer said. Khaldun said Friday, however, that the vaccine does appear to be effective against the coronavirus variant.

Officials heading the U.S.’ Operation Warp Speed program in charge of organizing the nation’s COVID vaccine rollout provided an update on their efforts Tuesday. Federal officials in charge of organizing and distributing coronavirus vaccines to states -- who then, in turn, are responsible for distributing vaccines among their residents -- said on Jan. 12 that the system is operating as planned, despite many states arguing that the rollout has moved too slowly. Read: Governors scramble to speed vaccine effort after slow startThose leading the federal operation say states experiencing issues with vaccine delays likely had their own issues with data collection and/or reporting. Watch the full report in the video player above. More: National news

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Due to lower-than-expected COVID-19 vaccine supply, the University of Michigan has paused vaccinations of people in the state’s 1B phase. Gretchen Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced the move to phase 1B on Wednesday. The state acknowledged, however, that not everyone from the first phase had received the vaccine. While Whitmer said not everyone from Phase 1A had to be vaccinated before people from 1B started receiving their first doses, many of the sites administering the vaccine announced they wouldn’t immediately be moving on to phase 1B on Monday. Garlin Gilchrist discusses state’s new COVID vaccination phaseMichigan’s handling of the COVID vaccine distribution process hasn’t come without speed bumps.

Beaumont Health is assuring the public that its server capacity has been broadened to account for an influx of patients interested in scheduling appointments for COVID vaccinations after its system crashed Friday night. See: Michigan enters new vaccine phase Monday amid lagging rolloutAvailability of the COVID vaccine in Michigan varies depending on the region. The expansion of eligibility criteria creates an even higher demand for the vaccine -- which has already been struggling to meet demand since its nationwide authorization. On Wednesday, Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun told Michigan residents that when it comes to getting vaccinated, they’ll need to be patient. Eligible residents should not go to any of the clinics for a vaccine without an appointment.

Among the first Michiganders to receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine were 10 health care workers at Ascension Providence Hospital on Wednesday morning. Patel was one of the 10 frontline workers who received the COVID vaccine Wednesday morning. Though the hospital received nearly 2,000 doses Wednesday morning, Ascension officials say only 10 employees were vaccinated because they are taking their time with the vaccine rollout to ensure everything goes smoothly. “There’s just enough nuances to this that we want to ensure that we’re being very thoughtful and going through all of our processes,” said Ascension Michigan Vice President of Operations Excellence, Tammy Merkel. Michigan officials believe that enough doses will be available by the spring of 2021 for all eligible individuals to receive the vaccine.