MI Receives Additional Federal Resources To Boost Vaccinations

LANSING, Mich. – More than 200 federal personnel will be arriving in Michigan this week to assist at three mass vaccination sites, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office announced Thursday.

The federal personnel — a group comprised of members of the Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Forest Service — will be assigned to DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Ford Field in Detroit and TCF in Detroit to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

“We appreciate the support from our federal partners, especially adding additional boots on the ground to allow for more shots in arms more quickly,” Whitmer said. "We are still fighting this virus, and we must continue masking up, socially distancing, washing our hands, and crucially, getting vaccinated."

Personnel will serve both clinical and non-clinical roles at the vaccination sites, according to a news release distributed by Whitmer's office. Support is being provided to hire additional ambulance personnel for these sites, as well, the release states.

Personnel began arriving Wednesday and are expected to be fully operational no later than April 28.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who also serves as the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said getting shots into the arms of Michiganders as quickly as possible is essential to combating this pandemic.

“Even as more Michiganders get their shots – we’ll still need to continue wearing masks, social distancing, and avoiding large crowds to help prevent infections and save lives," he said in a statement.

Michigan recently reached a milestone of 6 million doses of vaccines distributed in just over four months, with the most recent one million vaccines administered in a record 11 days. To date, 47 percent of Michiganders have received at least one dose, with 33 percent of Michiganders being fully vaccinated, according to state data.