City of Detroit
Vaccines at the TCF Center in Detroit.
The city of Detroit is opening eight more vaccination sites in the neighborhoods next week in hopes of getting hesitant residents to roll up their sleeves.
Only 21% of Detroit residents have been vaccinated so far, compared to 38% in Oakland County, 38% in Western Wayne County, and 30% in Macomb County.
In one month, the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Detroit grew by more than 1,100%, reaching 315 daily cases on Friday. During the same period, the rate of positive COVID-19 tests in Detroit rose from 2.7% to 17.9%.
“The data is really alarming,” Denise Fair, chief public health officer for Detroit, said at a news conference Monday. “The only way we are going to beat COVID-19 is to significantly expand our vaccination efforts.”
There are six vaccine sites in Detroit, including at Ford Field and the TCF Center in downtown and four in the neighborhoods. Starting next week, eight additional sites will be open for one day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are:
• 4/12: Henry Ford High School, 20000 Evergreen Rd.
• 4/12: Western International High School, 1500 Scotten Ave.
• 4/13: A Philip Randolph Career and Technical School, 17101 Hubbell Ave.
• 4/14: Brenda Scott Academy, 18440 Hoover St.
• 4/14: Cass Tech High School, 2501 Second Ave.
• 4/15: Breithaupt Career Center, 9300 Hubbell Ave.
• 4/15: Islamic Center of Detroit, 14359 Tireman Ave.
• 4/16: East English Village Preparatory Academy, 5020 Cadieux Rd.
“This is real, and this is hitting our city in a way that we are not properly preparing for,” Mayor Mike Duggan said. “All we can do is make the option available to you.”
About 38% of Detroiters now say they are “very likely" to get a vaccine, a significant increase from 14% in the fall of 2020, according to a recent University of Michigan survey. Detroiters who say they are “not at all likely” to receive a vaccine declined from 38% to 25%.
Michigan health officials are hoping at least 70% of the state’s population gets vaccinated in order to reach herd immunity.
Research has shown that African Americans are disproportionately skeptical of vaccines, due to the history of cruel and unethical medical experiments on Black people.
To boost confidence in the safety of vaccines, health officials and Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration have launched a campaign to show that vaccines have received enormous scrutiny and that reactions to the shorts are tracked regularly to ensure they’re safe.
Clinical trials have shown vaccines are 95% effective and have modest side effects, if any at all. Side effects include short-term fever, muscle soreness, cough, fatigue, and headaches.
Duggan said he doesn’t foresee reimposing COVID-19 restricts in the near future because the spread doesn’t appear to be happening at restaurants and retail stores.
“I think the spread is occurring at family and social gatherings,” Duggan said.
To schedule a vaccine, call the city of Detroit at 313-230-0505. For more information about vaccines, visit the city’s website.
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