OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — To avoid having to cancel or reschedule appointments, Ottawa County is not opening up appointments until its vaccine shipments arrive each week.
The county received a total of 1,950 Pfizer doses on Monday to cover both first and second doses of the vaccine. The county had expected an additional shipment of first round doses this week, but did not receive it.
The rollout has gone slower than expected, county health officials have said, mainly due to a lack of supply.
Right now, Ottawa County is only vaccinating people ages 65 and older, as that age group accounts for over 45,000 people in the population.
"We are working as quickly as we can to get through the doses we are receiving. We do need many more thousands each week to be able to start making a dent into our population," said Kristina Wieghmink, public information officer for the Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH).
OCDPH says it has the capacity to scale up to about 8,000 doses a week, but larger vaccination efforts are on hold until the county receives enough doses.
Currently, clinics are held two days per week at Grand Valley State University's Holland campus. You must make an appointment; no walk-ins are available.
Fill out this notification form to be on the county's list for registration. Each week the county is sending out text and email alerts to a randomized group of eligible people (who have registered for notification) to then sign up for an appointment.
Other appointments are reserved for people who cannot access the current system, and those appointments are being scheduled through outreach, according to the county.
Residents who cannot access online registration can call 211.
The county is also encouraging residents to register with regional partners when possible, like the recently launched DeVos Place vaccination clinic in downtown Grand Rapids. Visit vaccinatewestmi.com for more information.
Michigan's vaccination phases:
Phase 1A: Paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home as well as residents in long term care facilities.
Phase 1B: Persons 65 years of age or older and frontline essential workers in critical infrastructure.
Phase 1C: Individuals 16 years of age or older at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 infection and some other essential workers whose position impacts life, safety and protection during the COVID-19 response.
Phase 2: Individuals 16 years of age or older.
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
