DETROIT (WXYZ) — The White House and the State of Michigan have partnered to open a new major community vaccination site at Ford Field in Detroit with the goal to administer 6,000 COVID-19 shots per day.
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It's going to be open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week for eight weeks under the federal government's vaccination pilot program. The goal is to provide 5,000 vaccinations a day on-site and another 1,000 a day through the mobile option. It will open on March 24.
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The White House and the state identified Ford Field and other operations throughout the country, and expect to start getting shots in arms in the coming weeks.
“The safe and effective vaccine is the best way to protect Michiganders and their families, and it is essential to getting our country back to normal, so that we can all hug our loved ones, get back to work, and send our kids to school safely,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a release.
“FEMA is committed to the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “In coordination with our federal, state and local partners, we are establishing the Ford Field site to expand the rate of vaccinations in an efficient, effective and equitable manner, with an explicit focus on making sure that local communities with a high risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection are not left behind.”
“The most important thing we can do now as a community is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible so our lives and our economy can return to normal,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan added in a release. “Having this new mass vaccination site operated by FEMA will be a significant step forward for our city and our region toward that goal. We will be working closely with FEMA and state officials to make sure vaccines are distributed equitably.”
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