Ingham County opens vaccine eligibility to all Michigan residents 16 and over

LANSING – All Michigan residents 16 and over are now eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine at clinics run by the Ingham County Health Department, officials said.

The department announced the expanded eligibility on Monday afternoon, saying appointments were available as early as this week for the drive-through clinic at Michigan State University's Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education.

Until Monday, the Ingham County clinics were open only to people who live or work in the county.

"People move across county lines all the time," Health Officer Linda Vail said in a news release. "Ensuring that everyone in the state who wants a vaccine can get a vaccine benefits us all. We are seeing the number of new cases soar across the state, and there is a sense of urgency with getting people vaccinated."

The health department believes it can shift from vaccinating about 1,600 people a day to 3,000 to 4,000 per day, as long as it has the personnel it needs, spokeswoman Amanda Darche said. 

The county has been told it will get personnel from the Department of Defense through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help it handle the extra volume, officials said. But the health department could use more volunteers.

"We really do need volunteers," Darche said. "If folks have the time and are interested, we would love to have them join our volunteer effort."

Anyone who wants to volunteer can sign up here.

Meanwhile, Sparrow Hospital also has dropped a residency requirement for COVID-19 vaccinations and is accepting walk-ins at its Frandor clinic.

The drive-through clinic at the MSU Pavilion is run by the county health department and MSU, with support from the Michigan National Guard and Lansing Urgent Care.

As of Monday, about 68,000 vaccine doses had been administered there, officials said.

More:With expanded eligibility, health officials shift focus to vaccinating young adults against COVID-19

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Ingham County also operates a drive-through clinic at the county fairgrounds in Mason and a walk-in clinic at Dwight Rich School of the Arts in Lansing. The Dwight Rich clinic is for people 18 and over.

Appointments at those locations are now open to all Michigan residents, officials said.

A walk-up clinic for MSU students at the Pavilion remains open, as well.

Appointments for all of those clinics can be made here.

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.