New Oakland County vaccine center opens in Pontiac
PONTIAC - In preparation for Michigan's big expansion in vaccine eligibility next week, Oakland County is getting its own mass administration center in Pontiac that's opening today.
The United Wholesale Mortgage Sports Complex in Pontiac will vaccinate between 1,000 and 3,000 people a day, although officials say it has the capacity to administer as many as 5,000 shots daily.
Pontiac sports complex opening mass vaccine site for Oakland County residents
The United Wholesale Mortgage Sports Complex will have the capacity to vaccine about 3,000 people a day. Its opening for the first time Friday as both Oakland County and Michigan prepare for a big expansion of vaccine eligibility next week.
Some of the Michigan government's high brass will be in attendance when the UWM Sports Complex opens today. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Pontiac Mayor Dierdre Waterman, as well as other health experts will be there for the unveiling.
Expanded eligibility next week
Next Monday, every adult in Michigan over the age of 16 will be eligible for a vaccine. The timing couldn't be any better for a state with the highest rate of new infections in the country.
The state is armed with some of the highest daily allocations of vaccines its ever received, including a big boost in Johnson & Johnson doses.
RELATED: Michigan COVID cases, hospitalizations spike as vaccine eligibility set to expand
Currently, adults over the age of 50 and those 16 and older with a health condition can get a shot. However, some cities have already rushed the deadline to this week.
That includes Detroit, which expanded eligibility on Monday and announced more vaccine capacity at the TCF Center as well.
Oakland County finding success amid vaccine rollout
Despite being one of the state's most populated jurisdictions, Oakland County is keeping pace with some of Michigan's lower-density regions in regards to vaccines.
State data shows it has covered 37.5% of the county, vaccinating 385,619 of the 1.03 million residents that live there. Other areas like the city of Detroit and Macomb County are behind the state average.
Whether it be less access to transportation or more hesitancy about getting the shot, the inability to vaccinate more people will make achieving immunity during the pandemic harder.
RELATED: New Oakland County vaccine site in Pontiac can administer up to 5,000 doses a day
One of the tools Oakland County is using to gauge how many of its residents want a shot is by looking at the amount that has signed up on the "Save Your Spot" list. So far, more than 600,000 people have signed up, which is in addition to the hundreds of thousands already protected from the coronavirus.
Now, the UWM Sports Complex will add more capacity to the county's vaccine rollout.
The UWM Sports Complex is expected to vaccinate between 1,000 and 3,000 people a day. (Photo taken by Veronica Meadows)
The UWM Sports Complex was purchased by the mortgage lender last year. In a statement from its CEO, Mat Ishbia said the company is "humbled at the opportunity to help our community in Oakland County.
The center will receive its doses from Ford Field's supply, which gets its allocation in a separate bundle from the weekly vaccine.