It might be simply that the county website administrators were caught off guard by the timing of today's announcement, (or maybe me being a little overeager to get the shot and move on from the pandemic) but Michigan added another large group of the state's population to the vaccine eligibility list.
In spite of what you might see this afternoon on both the Kalamazoo County Health Department site or the Calhoun County site, here's the official word from both the state and Calhoun County: Starting this Monday, March 8, residents who are 50 years or older with a pre-existing condition or disability, and caregiver family members and guardians who care for children with special health care needs, will be eligible to get vaccinated. Then, two weeks later, beginning March 22, vaccine eligibility will again expand to include all Michigander’s 50 and older.
Specifically, "The Calhoun County Public Health Department urges those individuals to please check our vaccine webpage frequently as we are currently in the process of setting up a pre-registration link for the COVID-19 vaccine." Access to vaccination information can be found at this link for Calhoun County here, and for Kalamazoo County here. As of mid-Wednesday afternoon, the websites had not been updated, but press releases were sent out or in the works.
With the heightened interest in getting vaccinated, and with some people not as internet savvy as other, there may be some confusion. But so far, Michigan reports 40% of the state's population 65 and older had gotten vaccinated.
If you are in the next group (50+), Michigan recommends you do these things.
- Check the website of the local health department or hospital to find out their process or for registration forms; or
- Check additional vaccination sites, such as local pharmacies like Meijer, Rite Aid or Cardinal Health (U.P. residents); or
- Residents who don’t have access to the internet or who need assistance navigating the vaccine scheduling process can call the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or can call 2-1-1.
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