Detroit City Wire

More Michiganders will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next week, according to Bridge Michigan.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state would move beyond doctors, nurses, other emergency workers, and staff and residents of nursing homes onto those in group 1B.  This group includes those over the age of 65 and other frontline workers, including teachers, police officers, prison staff, workers in the agriculture industry and grocery store employees. 

Whitmer said the people who fall into the 1B category, who are interested in receiving the vaccine, can get information from the state's website or their local health department to find out how to schedule a time to receive it.  During a recent press conference, she stressed the importance of scheduling an appointment so that people aren't waiting in lines. 

With more than 1.7 people in Michigan who are over the age of 65, public health departments are trying to prepare for what could be a surplus of residents wanting to get the inoculation. Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, Washtenaw County Health Department spokesman, told people to be patient.

"Is it incredibly challenging to have something ready for next week when it was supposed to be ready for next month? Absolutely," Ringler-Cerniglia told Bridge Michigan. 

Public health officials have said they'd reach out through the news, social media, outreach programs and faith leaders about where and when vaccine clinics will take place, but it's a challenge to plan exactly when as they don't know how many doses of the vaccine they'll receive. 

The state has received 665,850 combined doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine for the first group of eligible recipients, and recent data shows a little more than 152,000 Michiganders have received it. However, federal reports show that 37 states are giving out their vaccines at a higher rate.