Under federal guidance, Michigan will begin vaccinating all Michigan residents aged 16 and over from Monday, April 5.
Eligibility for Michiganders from the age of 16 with disabilities or medical conditions has been open since March 22.
To date, Michigan has administered more than 4.4 million doses of the vaccine. On March 31, 34.5% of Michigan residents aged 16 and over received their first dose and 20.7% completed all doses. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses weeks apart, while Johnson & Johnson requires one.
Now that more Michiganders are qualified, here’s what you need to know:
1. All Michiganders aged 16 and over are eligible on April 5, but the MDHHS still recommends prioritizing those most at risk
Providers are encouraged to schedule appointments and distribute vaccines based on the highest risk, according to the release issued by Michigan on March 12. The state characterizes the highest risk as being an older individual, a frontline worker, or an essential worker.
Vaccination of the rest of the previously ineligible population depends on the application of the vaccine, according to the MDHHS website.
2. Coronavirus vaccinations are provided at no cost
Some vaccination clinics recommend that patients bring their insurance card. However, if you don’t have insurance, that’s fine.
According to the MDHHS website, policyholders will have their insurance charged for an administrative fee. If a person is uninsured, this administrative fee will be charged to the Fund for Assistance to the Provider of Health Resources and Services Administration, not to the person.
No individual will be personally charged for a coronavirus vaccine.
3. How to find an appointment
MDHHS recommends checking the website of the local health department or hospital to verify the nomination process. A map of the local health departments can be found here.
The department also recommends signing up with pharmacy chains like Meijer, Rite Aid, Kroger and Walmart for those in central, central and northern Michigan. Those on the Upper Peninsula must register with Snyders Drugstores.
Michiganders who need help navigating the scheduling process or who do not have access to the internet can call the COVID-19 hotline at (888) 535-6136 and press one. This hotline is open from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8 am to 1 pm, on Saturdays and Sundays.
4. How to prepare for your appointment
Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail recommends wearing clothes that make your arm easily accessible, such as a short-sleeved shirt with a coat over it. Bring a photo ID for your consultation as well.
Also, make sure that you have not received another vaccine two weeks before your coronavirus vaccine. If you’re getting a two-dose coronavirus vaccine, don’t plan on getting a different vaccine between doses of coronavirus, said Vail. Also, do not plan to receive a vaccine until two weeks after your final dose.
If you experience side effects, such as fever or chills, it is normal, said Vail. This is a side effect of your bodybuilding immunity.
5. Those over the age of 16, but under the age of 18, will only be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, Pfizer has been approved for individuals aged 16 and over, while Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have been approved for people aged 18 and over.
6. Young Michiganders cannot be vaccinated yet, but Pfizer and Moderna are working on it
Moderna and Pfizer began studying the vaccine for children aged 6 months to 11 years. Both also signed up for studies with children 12 and older.
RELATED: When will children be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccines?
The results of the study for children 12 years and older are expected this summer, while the results of the study with younger children may take until the beginning of 2022.
RELATED: Pfizer begins to study the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in children from 6 months to 11 years of age
7. Fully vaccinated individuals must still wear a mask in public, but can meet with others who are fully vaccinated
Fully vaccinated means waiting two weeks since receiving your single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two weeks since receiving your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Fully vaccinated people can meet indoors with others who have also been fully vaccinated without wearing a mask or social distance, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is not yet clear whether fully vaccinated individuals can catch and transmit COVID-19. The CDC recommends the use of a mask, avoiding crowds and social distance in public, even if the individual is fully vaccinated.
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