Starting on April 5, all Michigan residents age 16 and up will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The new eligibility qualifications starting in April come one month before President Joe Biden’s pledge to make every adult in the U.S. eligible for vaccination no later than May 1.
President Biden’s pledge also comes with a plan to increase the number of places where Americans can get vaccinated. There will be more federal mass vaccination centers run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the military and other federal agencies.
For Michigan residents, the federally selected regional mass vaccination site will be at Ford Field in Detroit. The site will operate 12 hours a day with the capacity to administer six thousand doses daily. The vaccine is administered from Meijer at no cost and insurance is not required.
All Albion students are eligible to receive the vaccine because they currently reside and attend school in Michigan. Those interested and able to travel can sign up to receive the vaccination at Ford Field on the Meijer pharmacy registration page that is tailored to Michigan residents.
There are also vaccine distribution sites at Meijer pharmacies. Those looking for a closer Meijer vaccination site can register for an appointment at the Meijer in Jackson.
Because of Together Safely guidelines, Albion students who sign up and receive a vaccine appointment confirmation must fill out the off-campus travel form and get approved to leave campus.
Not all Albion students have the ability to travel that far off campus, However, students can register for an appointment to get vaccinated locally in Albion on the Calhoun County Health Department website and on the Family Fare website.
For faculty and staff who would like to be vaccinated, Albion is working with the Calhoun County Health Department to offer a vaccine clinic for the Albion community on April 13 at the Dow.
“The first dose of vaccine will be administered on April 13 and the second dose on May 4. We will be able to get faculty/staff that want the vaccine appointments at these clinics,” said Matthew Arend, athletic director and COVID-19 coordinator, via email. “Students are eligible to register for a vaccine within Calhoun County or the county their permanent home address is in.”
Arend said that Albion students aren’t ineligible to receive the vaccine at the Dow clinic, but it is not the schools decision to vaccinate students. Calhoun County is handling who is eligible to set up an appointment at the Dow. Students can use the online system to register, but decisions on who will be contacted to set up an appointment is up to the county.
On Tuesday the Office of the President sent out an email informing the student body that there will be a vaccination clinic in Jackson available for all students who are interested.
“We are very excited to announce that we have confirmed access to a vaccine clinic in Jackson for our entire student body free of cost and with no insurance necessary. Henry Ford is working with us to offer Pfizer vaccines to all students. The first dose will be on Thursday, April 8 and the second dose will be on Thursday, April 29,” said the Office of the President.
The College is providing transportation for students and absences from classes will be excused. Students should have filled out the Google form by yesterday if they were interested in getting the vaccine. A frequently asked questions form was attached to the email sent out to all students and any further questions can be sent to covidteam@albion.edu.
Leave a Reply