County opens up vaccinations to everybody

Almost a week before the state is set to do it, Kalamazoo County is opening up vaccine eligibility to everyone age 16 and older regardless of medical conditions.

The Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Community Services (KDHCS) made the announcement on Monday. They say only people who live within the county will be able to take advantage of the expanded eligibility.

County Health Officer Jim Rutherford said that although the rules are loosened, it still may take time for people to get an appointment.

“This newly eligible group represents a significant amount of people who live in Kalamazoo County,” he said. “Securing a vaccination appointment may not happen immediately, so please continue to have patience as you wait to schedule an appointment.”

Other vaccine providers in the county are already following suit. As of last week, Meijer was already scheduling appointments for people age 16 and up.

Interested residents can sign up for appointments through the county on their website. Appointment slots for the following week are opened up every Monday at 7am, noon, and 5pm.

So far, 153,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Kalamazoo County – mostly to people over age 60. According to the state’s vaccine dashboard, facilities in the county have about 26,000 doses of vaccine on hand, though more are expected to be delivered this week.

You can read the full announcement here.