Ford Field vaccine site closes, survey shows hesitancy in parts of the state  

On the final day of COVID-19 vaccinations at Ford Field in Detroit, a state government official reported that the eight-week effort was a “success” but also said that significant pockets of Michigan continue to have vaccine hesitancy. 

During its eight-week existence, Ford Field issued more than 270,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and about 1,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as of Thursday, said Kerry Ebersole Singh, Protect Michigan Commission (PMC) director.

“We are absolutely thrilled by the progress that we have made at such an important time when we worked to protect our communities,” said Ebersole Singh.

The site has been managed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) along with the  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Wayne County, the city of Detroit, Ford Field, Meijer, Henry Ford Health System, the Detroit Lions and PMC.

Overall, residents from 70 of Michigan’s 83 counties received at least one dose there. About 95% of those who were vaccinated were southeastern Michigan residents. Only 331 doses of vaccine were wasted or spoiled, thus 99.99% of the shots received were used, Ebersole Singh reported. 

In March, Ford Field was named as a mass regional COVID vaccination site with the capacity to administer 6,000 doses each day. The Biden administration in partnership with FEMA selected Southeast Michigan for the site using Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The state uses the SVI to determine where vaccine distribution should go, not who is eligible for the vaccine. The stadium was picked as a large site because it is well known to metro Detroit residents, the White House noted.

https://michiganadvance.com/2021/04/29/want-fewer-state-health-orders-get-vaccinated-whitmer-says/

PMC, created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is a group of leaders from across the state who are charged with ensuring that Michigan residents receive timely information about the COVID-19 vaccine process. The body on Monday also released results from a statewide survey about Michiganders’ perceptions on COVID-19 vaccinations. The public opinion survey was conducted between May 5 to 9. The analysis was based on an online survey of a representative sample. 

Results showed:

• More than 70% of Michigan residents report they are vaccinated or in the process of getting vaccinated but there is strong resistance among those not yet vaccinated
• Residents in the Flint/Bay/Saginaw region show the highest resistance
• Wayne/Washtenaw/Monroe region has the largest share of undecided residents
• Of the unvaccinated group, two in three (64%) expressed rejection of the vaccines, and one in three (36%) expressed openness to get a vaccine under various circumstances and motivations
• Overall, 61% of Michiganders expressed support for Whitmer’s four-step “Vacc to Normal” plan to ease Michigan’s COVID-19 restrictions as vaccine rates increase

The survey also asked residents how much they trust people to provide reliable information regarding COVID-19 vaccines. The authorities or people whom Michigan residents trust the most are their personal doctor (whom 80% reported they “trust” or “trust a lot”) or family members (72%), followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health agencies (60%).