Michigan Prepares for COVID-19 Vaccine

Chart shows current number of cases, deaths, and recoveries of Covid-19 in Michigan from March 12, 2020-December 1, 2020.

In the midst of another deadly outpour of Covid-19 cases that has already taken the lives of over 277,000 American citizens, including 9,324 in Michigan, there is hope for receiving a potential vaccine soon.

Multiple Metro Detroit counties prepare, as Michigan will be one of the first states to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Moderna announced a new vaccine on Nov. 16, which was found to be 95% effective at preventing the virus. Pfizer announced their vaccine on Nov. 9, which reached an effective benchmark of 90%.

The FDA announced that the vaccines must be stored in cold temperature, especially the vaccine from Pfizer, which must be stored in temperatures colder than winter in Antarctica.

Four Metro Detroit counties already have special ultra-low temperature freezers to store the vaccines in.

News reporter from Detroit news station, 7 Action News, tweets about interview with Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter says that they invested $140,000 from the Cares Act reimbursement on the freezers, which can reach as low as -90 degrees Celsius.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also prepares for the vaccine.

The TCF Center and large parking structures of stadiums such as Ford Field and Comerica Park will be used to provide wide-ranging vaccinations during the winter months.

Frontline workers such as, hospital workers, emergency medical technicians, police officers and firefighters will be top priority, Duggan said. The elderly of 65 and over will be next in line.

Mayor Duggan says the distribution of vaccines for Detroit citizens could take several months. They would need to vaccinate 5,000 people a day.

This is a huge step for Michigan since Detroit was one of the cities in Michigan that was hit hardest by Covid-19 in the beginning of March.

Detroit is one of the cities in Michigan that has a significantly large population of Black Americans that reside there.

Although researchers cannot determine a specific reason for why black communities as well as other communities among people of color have been hit hardest from Covid-19, there are some ideas.

The Covid-19 vaccine could be available to Michigan residents as early as next week.

The US government predicts that Pfizer and Moderna will provide about 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people, by the end of the year.