Detroit Adds 2 Weekend Vaccination Sites For Older Adults

DETROIT — Detroit is expanding its delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine to older adults ages 60 and older with chronic conditions and people 65 and older with the addition of two new Senior Saturday locations starting Saturday.

The city announced this week it is adding vaccination sites at Grace Community Church, 21002 Moross Rd., and Kemeny Recreation Center, 2260 S. Fort St. The Grace Community location will be open on Saturday, March 6 and March 20. The Kemeny Recreation site will be open on the same days.

“This is a key part of the City’s equitable outreach strategy to bring this lifesaving vaccine to our most vulnerable residents,” said Denise Fair, chief public health officer. “We are working closely with our faith-based leaders to bring the vaccine to seniors, meeting them close to home. This vaccine remains the most important tool we have in fighting COVID-19, and it is crucial that we reach as many Detroiters as quickly as we can.”

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Up to 500 doses of the vaccine will be available at both of the new locations for the next four Saturdays, as well as at the original Senior Saturday locations of Second Ebenezer and Fellowship Chapel, which will be held again on Saturday and March 6, city officials said.

The added locations will double Detroit's Senior Saturday outreach to 2,000 doses each weekend, officials said.

Detroiters can schedule appointments at any of the four locations by calling (313) 230-0505.

“The Health Department is doing a great job with its outreach to our most vulnerable populations and we are going to continue to work with community partners to make sure more eligible Detroit residents have the opportunity to be vaccinated in more neighborhoods across the city,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said.

The outreach is part of a strategy to increase the percentage of Detroiters vaccinated, which still lags behind surrounding areas and the state, Fair said.

“As effective as our operation at TCF Center and our Health Department outreach has been, the reality is that there is a major gap we need to close to have Detroit residents vaccinated at the same level as other communities in our region and across the state,” Fair said.

According to the Michigan Vaccine Dashboard, residents in surrounding areas are being vaccinated at a much higher rate, mostly through hospital systems. According to city health data, those rates look like this:

• Michigan – 15.1%
• Oakland County – 15.8%
• Wayne County (outside of Detroit) – 14.7%
• Macomb County – 13.1%
• Detroit – 8.9%

The Detroit Health Department has received 78,270 doses and has administered 92.7% of them to date, officials said. Nearly half of the doses administered have been to senior citizens.