Genesee County Health Department Allocated 1/4 State Average of COVID Vaccines; Shortage Possible
Cherry, Neeley and Sneller call for allocation of additional COVID-19 vaccines to Genesee County
LANSING, Mich., Jan. 12, 2021 — Reps. John Cherry (D-Flint), Cynthia Neeley (D-Flint), and Tim Sneller (D-Burton) called upon Governor Whitmer this week to ensure Genesee County receives a fair share of the remaining available COVID-19 vaccines.
“We know that there is going to be more vaccine demand than supply over the coming months, which is why it is so important that the State distribute the vaccines that it has available in a fair manner – Genesee County has been left behind too many times in the past and we cannot let this happen again,” said Cherry, “The administration has done a good job ensuring that hospitals have the vaccines necessary to protect frontline medical workers and first responders. But the vaccines being distributed to protect our seniors are not being distributed equitably.”
“Governor Whitmer has done a commendable job dealing with this pandemic. I support her efforts to ensure hard hit minority communities, like mine, would not be overlooked,” said Neeley. “I’m committed to continuing to work with Governor Whitmer and anyone else to fulfill that commitment to Flint and Genesee County.”
Currently, Genesee County has received the sixth-lowest distribution to local health departments of all 83 counties in the state when adjusted for population differences. This distribution comes despite Genesee County having the fourth-highest number of COVID-19 deaths according to state data available Tuesday morning. The number of vaccine doses received per 100,000 residents in Genesee County, 282, is than 1/4 of the distribution rate to local health departments across the state.
“A few days ago we heard that our health department will not be scheduling additional vaccination appointments for a month due to a lack of vaccines,” said Sneller. “The State needs to distribute vaccines that are available in a fair manner so that our constituents are not left behind.”
As of Monday at noon, Genesee County Health Department has removed their appointment scheduler from their website as there are no available vaccines to be distributed. Residents are urged to continue checking for availability as updates are posted regularly by the health department. Residents with questions regarding the COVID-19 virus, state response, or vaccinations should contact the state hotline at 888-535-6136 or email COVID19@michigan.gov for more information.
Covid vaccine distribution to Local health departments 1.12.2021
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