As of Sunday, 81,336 doses had been administered through the federal pharmacy partnership. Author: Emma Nicolas Updated: 11:05 PM EST January 26, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan State health officials say all residents and staff in skilled nursing facilities enrolled in the federal pharmacy partnership have been able to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids is one of over 400 nursing homes receiving the vaccine through the pharmacy partnership with CVS and Walgreens. As of Sunday, 81,336 doses had been administered through the program.
By Wednesday, all 400 residents and 200 staff members at the two Clark campuses which include independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing will have been able to receive the first dose of the vaccine.
Two designated national pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, say they have vaccinated over 34,000 residents and staff in about 400 Michigan nursing homes. That suggests that a majority of the 45,000 residents in skilled nursing settings have gotten at least one of the two-dose vaccine regimen in a process that still appears bumpy.
For older residents not in care facilities, the pace of vaccination appears to be much slower. That data show that 89,760 people age 70 or older have gotten at least the first dose of the vaccine nearly 8 percent of the 1.2 million Michigan residents 70 and older, through Tuesday. That may not seem like much, but the rate is far higher than in many neighboring states.