300 Michigan National Guardsmen Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

MICHIGAN — Three hundred members of the Michigan National Guard working on COVID-19 vaccination and testing teams have received their first round of COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a news release issued by the National Guard Tuesday.

The vaccinations were administered by National Guard members who have also been supporting Michigan health care agencies at the behest of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in the initial vaccination of medical personnel in hospitals across the state, according to the news release. The first batch of vaccines was given at the Detroit Light Guard Armory on Thursday, officials said.

“Providing vaccines to our members really allows us to go on the offense against COVID-19 in the fight for Michiganders,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, the adjutant general, and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said in a statement. “Michigan National Guard Airmen and Soldiers take the responsibility of protecting their communities very seriously, and offering the COVID-19 vaccination will enable them to safely and effectively continue this mission throughout the state.”

The National Guard is expected to receive 20 percent of the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccinations, officials said. The receipt of the immunization is voluntary, however. The Michigan National Guard vaccination plan is similar to the plan for civilians; first, to frontline health care workers, like Guard members of the COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Teams, followed by those members that have duties that do not allow them to work from home.

“I’m excited to receive the vaccine because it will allow me to continue on with my duties on a CVTT without the distraction of worrying about getting really sick in the future,” U.S. Army Cpl. Lance King, who is serving with the Michigan National Guard's COVID-19 Task Force Spartan, said in a statement. “Volunteering to receive the shot was no different than volunteering to get any other vaccine that is there to protect me.”

The Michigan National Guard is continuing to partner with MDHHS, providing COVID-19 testing teams, antigen testing and testing training, contact tracing teams and support to long-term care facilities and food banks. Since March, Michigan has deployed more than 1,100 guard personnel to assist in the fight against COVID-19, according to a news release. Nationwide, there are more than 20,300 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen supporting COVID-19 missions.

“Being able to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to our military community who are out there supporting Michigan is a very positive move toward eradicating this disease,” Rogers said.