Michigan will soon allow residents aged 50 to 64 to register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment.
The expansion of eligibility announced on Wednesday, March 3, was well received by some providers who claim to have surpassed the majority of the previously eligible population who applied for a vaccine and did not want to delay vaccinations in the coming weeks.
But for other providers, especially in areas with a larger population, the expansion seems a few weeks too early, with many people still waiting in line. And for already qualified residents who are still struggling to get an appointment, the change only raises concerns that they will not have a chance before competition increases.
“I think that before they can continue to reduce the age limit, they need to care for elderly people with underlying diseases,” said Alice Neil Rhoney, 79, of Roseville.
Rhoney said she has a heart condition, which makes her particularly susceptible to a serious case of COVID-19, if infected. She signed up for Beaumont Health and three different Meijer stores, to no avail. She also calls the Macomb County vaccine hotline “ceaselessly every Tuesday, as instructed, and receives nothing but signs of busy.”
Lauren Johnson, 37, of South Lyon, has heard many similar stories from elderly residents in Oakland County. After successfully enrolling her parents for consultations through Rite Aid last month, she started helping others to apply.
“Most of these people were in their 70s and 80s, but I also talked to some people in their 90s,” she said. “These poor people were on several lists, one had heart problems, two had cancer, some did not drive and most did not understand the computer.
“I had the feeling that everyone felt forgotten, that they had no one to help them, mainly because everything is online.”
On Wednesday, Michigan administered 2,351,125 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes 1,495,021 residents who received the first dose and 856,104 who received the second of the two recommended doses.
Related: Nearly 1.5 million Michiganders received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine
Groups currently eligible to be vaccinated across the state include health workers, long-term care workers and residents, first responders, prison workers, daycare and school staff, employees in congregated care facilities, mortuary workers, workers in food processing and agricultural environments, and residents aged 65 and over.
Among the elderly population in the state, 47% have already received at least one dose of the vaccine. Residents aged 65 and over have received 52% of the total state doses administered to date, including 55% of the first doses and 46% of the second doses.
In Ingham County, about 60% of the population aged 65 and over received their first dose, including the majority of those who signed up for an injection. Health officer Linda Vail said her department “has reached a point where it is having trouble filling appointments” and they themselves would have to expand the number of eligible people soon, if it were not for the state’s last decision. She heard similar comments from colleagues in other counties.
Vail said she may have chosen additional priority 1B groups – such as grocery stores and other essential frontline workers – before moving on to priority group 1C, but she also understands the logic of the state.
State health officials said they are accelerating vaccination in the 50- to 64-year-old age range, as well as adding family caregivers and guardians who care for children with special health needs, “due to concerns about the disparity in life expectancy and an effort to remove barriers to accessing the vaccine ”.
“There is logic in going down to the group of 50 and over, because many of these people are just as much or more at risk than some people 65 and over,” said Vail. “That’s when we see the numbers start to deviate, like hospitalizations and deaths, often because they are riddled with underlying health problems.
“It is rare to see a death (COVID-19) without underlying conditions.”
Of the 15,563 confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in Michigan since March 2020, 73% were residents aged 70 and over. Another 23% were in their 50s and 60s, leaving 4% of deaths for residents aged 49 and under.
Similar to Ingham County, the health district of Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft counties in the Upper Peninsula reported that it “reached most people aged 65 and over and in priority groups in 1B”.
“We are also ready to serve people over 60, regardless of their medical condition,” said Kerry Ott, public information officer for the LMAS District Health Department.
The story is different in Washtenaw County, where there are about 23% more residents than in Ingham County. They received the first dose for about 47.5% of their population aged 65 and over.
“We were predicting that more eligibility would be open soon because we know that smaller counties were able to move more quickly between groups,” said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, administrator of the health department. “But it is a little worrying because, with the increase in supply recently, many counties have finally felt that we were making progress with their current eligible groups.
“We are a few weeks away from finishing these groups, which is good, but it is scary now to have another large group opening right away.”
Ringler-Cerniglia said he hopes that already eligible residents will not be discouraged by additional groups joining the queue. Your county, like others, has a two-step application process that will “ensure that people who have been waiting can receive vaccination booking offers first.”
While there may be some overlap, it predicts that it will be at least a few weeks before Washtenaw County offers nominations for new eligible groups. She also hopes to get through the current waiting lists more quickly, because some residents will have already received a vaccine elsewhere due to enrollment with several providers.
As for the 50- to 64-year-old group getting the green light ahead of key frontline workers, like those in supermarkets and restaurants, Ringler-Cerniglia said he understands the frustration.
“Are there any good reasons to carefully examine the risk for age and underlying health conditions? Of course, it is difficult to articulate any arguments against these people being promoted, ”she said. “But none of us want to move those restaurant and grocery store employees down, either.
“Everyone has so many good reasons to be eligible and prioritized that it remains challenging and frustrating. Hopefully, we will be so inundated with vaccines in the future that it won’t make a difference ”.
President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the United States will have enough vaccine stock to give vaccines to all adults by the end of May. The news comes at a time when the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine became the third to receive emergency use authorization from the FDA.
Lynn Sutfin, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the Biden government’s announcement triggered the state’s move to the next phase of eligibility. She also indicated that soon more groups could also be eligible.
“Recognizing the recent update to the federal plan to increase vaccine production, the MDHHS is in active discussions to finalize our plan and will announce the next round of eligibility in the near future,” said Sutfin on Wednesday.
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