Expand / Collapse search
☰

There's more COVID-19 vaccines than people making appointments at Ford Field site

By Veronica Meadows and David Komer online producer
Published  April 22, 2021 6:05pm EDT
Coronavirus Vaccine
FOX 2 Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Michigan's mass vaccination site at Ford Field is now at the halfway point of their eight-week clinic.  So far staff have administered nearly 150,000 doses. 

People we caught up with on Thursday originally held off because of the possible side effects. 

COVID-19 vaccination site at Ford Field sees slowdown

The state's mass vaccination site at Ford Field is now at the halfway point of their eight-week clinic. So far staff have administered nearly 150,000 doses.

"I was nervous, but now that I got it, I feel fine and I am happy I got it," said Mark Likich.

"I went and I looked and talk to my wife and she's a healthcare worker so she was telling me different things about it, said Donyel Grant. 

Grant says he felt better after seeing his wife get the shot. he encourages others who may be skeptical to do their research. 

"You have to take the time to listen and understand what they're saying about these shots and what it's doing to your body," he said.

Kerry Ebersole-Singh promotes vaccine awareness with the Protect Michigan commission.  She says last week they saw a 2,000 dose slump at Ford Field. 

"With the Johnson and Johnson news - the slip in demand could have been a blip in reacting to that news," she said. "Or it could've been folks have actually gotten doses in other locations and didn't report back to decline their appointment or cancel their appointment."

Ebersole-Singh also says some communities are now starting to see a new problem. There are more vaccines than people making appointments. 

"I would say we are hitting that shift in demand earlier than I would've expected," Singh said. "We thought this point would be later in May, but it's here now." 

In response, Singh says they need to meet people where they're at. The commission plans to ramp up efforts with churches and mobile clinics to make it as easy as possible for folks to get vaccines.

In the meantime, Grant is counting down the days until his next dose so he and his family can finally go on that much-needed vacation. 

"I have children, I have a family, I am a stay-at-home dad," he said. "I just want to be safe, I want my family to be safe and be able to go out and have fun." 

For more information about Ford Field's vaccination site GO HERE.