Kalamazoo County aims to vaccinate 3K in senior push

More than 16,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been given out in Kalamazoo County as of Tuesday. County officials hope to push that number even higher as they begin a major effort to inoculate people age 65 and older this week.

Kalamazoo County is holding a vaccine clinic at the county’s Expo Center. The goal is to give the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to at least 3,000 people by week’s end.

It’s an uphill battle.

County Health Officer Jim Rutherford said they can’t predict how many doses of the vaccine the county will receive from week to week.

“I have the space, I have the human resource, I have the supplies, I have a waiting list of over 20,000 people,” said Rutherford, in an interview with WWMT. “What I need is the availability of vaccine.”

While it may be slow going for vaccination efforts among the general public (at least those who are eligible), the state is making headway on inoculating its most vulnerable population – nursing home residents.

As of this week, a majority of those living in the state’s 400 nursing homes have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Bridge Michigan.

Those vaccination efforts are being routed through the pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS. The companies say they have given at least one dose to more than 34,000 nursing home residents and staff.

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