Detroit Expands Vaccine Eligibility to All Adults Who Work On-Site in the City

Detroit is expanding its coronavirus vaccine program to any adult who works in the city as well as any Detroiter with a disability or underlying condition 16 and older.

Any adult who works in the city or any city resident who works at their job site are now eligible to get a vaccine. The new eligibility guidelines do not apply to those still able to do their jobs remotely.

“The biggest proportion of these cases is among 20- to 29-year-olds who account for 20% of the positive cases, followed by 50- to 59-year-olds who account for 13% of new cases.” — Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair

“Whether you’re a hair and nail salon worker, whether you’re working at a clothing store, whether you’re working at an insurance office, it doesn’t matter,” Mayor Mike Duggan says of people who are now eligible to receive a vaccine.

The expansion comes as cases of COVID-19 rise in Michigan. Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair says Detroit has seen the number of confirmed positive infections and hospitalizations increase in recent weeks.

“The biggest proportion of these cases is among 20- to 29-year-olds who account for 20% of the positive cases, followed by 50- to 59-year-olds who account for 13% of new cases.”

Fair says Detroit is seeing an increase of infections among high-school athletes. She says testing for coronavirus has decreased while the city nears 200,000 vaccine doses administered.

City of Detroit

Duggan says the city’s vaccine program at the TCF Center will be able to accommodate the new groups.

“Pfizer has been tested when they did the test on 16 and over. Moderna was tested on 18 and over. At least for now, only Pfizer has been approved for 16 and over. So, we will just make sure if you happen to be 16 or 17, we will schedule you on a day when there are Pfizer shots.”

Duggan says in addition to the TCF Center downtown the city is planning a second mass vaccination site at the Northwest Activities Center that will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Eight other locations at various churches are open to the community on Saturdays. Duggan says the Ford Field vaccination site, which opens on Wednesday, will not take on newly eligible workers but other groups that qualify under Michigan’s orders can get the shot at the football stadium.

Duggan says large employers can call the Detroit Health Department to schedule and administer the shots on-site. He says those vaccines will likely be the one-dose Johnson & Johnson treatment.