- Mayor lowers age eligibility for Detroit residents to 68, “Good Neighbor” drivers 65 years or older still eligible.
- Members of Clergy interacting with congregants also eligible
- Mayor also opens vaccine access to funeral home/mortuary employees
- Vaccine Dashboard now online at www.detroitmi.gov
Early during the vaccination process at the TCF Center, testing for residents was limited to those age 75 or older. Due to the current call volume for scheduling requests, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is lowering the threshold to those 68 years of age or older. Any “good neighbor” age 65 or older, regardless of residency, is still eligible if they drive a Detroiter age 68 or older to TCF for their vaccination.
“Just as we did with our COVID testing, we are going to expand access to vaccinations every chance we get until we are able to allow any Detroiter who wants a vaccination to get one,” Duggan said in a press release.
Duggan also added that he was pleased to hear that President-elect Joe Biden commit to speeding up the distribution of vaccines and providing support to cities to establish mass vaccination sites, such as Detroit’s TCF center.
“At last, we are seeing a true national strategy to deal with this 10-month old COVID crisis. President-elect Biden’s plan he announced today would dramatically speed up vaccinations in the city of Detroit and across the country. I hope Congress moves quickly on this proposal so we can put this virus behind us,” Duggan said in the release.
Public Dashboard unveiled
As of today, the city has scheduled received 10,850 vaccine doses and as of the end of the day Wednesday had administered 82.6% or them, or 8.959. That includes more than 2,300 residents over the age of 70 and “Good Neighbor” drivers, 1,900 health care providers, 1,500 teachers and school staff, among other eligible individuals. Daily updated numbers are now available on a public dashboard accessible at www.detroitmi.gov.
How to schedule an appointment
Eligible residents can call 313-230-0505 between 9AM and 8PM, Monday-Friday to make an appointment. As of yesterday, the average wait time for callers who made it through the initial prompts to determine their eligibility was about 15 minutes.
Detailed information on the TCF testing site is available at www.detroitmi.gov. As additional independent vaccination sites at pharmacies and elsewhere come online in the city, a map of locations will be added to the website.
Scheduling details
Vaccinations will be administered by appointment only. Workers and residents will not be vaccinated without having first made an appointment. Individuals calling the scheduling number at 313-230-0505.
Senior Citizens scheduling appointments will be required to provide their name, residence address and age. For greater efficiency and convenience, the city is recommending that when possible, eligible members of the same family or neighbors schedule jointly and arrive in the same vehicle. Group B essential workers will be required to provide the name of their employer and their most recent pay stub to verify their eligibility.
Second vaccination required
When they schedule their appointment, individuals will be provided two appointment dates, one for the first dose and another for the required second dose. Call center staff will contact each scheduled person prior to their second appointment to remind them. Individuals also will be provided specific instructions on when and where to arrive to the TCF Center, where they will be required to fill out a basic consent form.
After receiving their vaccination, individuals will be required to remain in their vehicles inside the TCF garage for a period of approximately 15 minutes to make sure they are not experiencing any side effects. Medical staff will be on hand to assist any who may experience any side effects. Appointments should last approximately one hour once the person enters the TCF garage.