GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Spectrum Health reports that they’re on track to hit 20,000 vaccinations a day at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place in the next few weeks.
As always, getting to that number heavily relies on the supply, but the Spectrum team said production of all three vaccines will be ramping up significantly, very soon.
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Brian Brasser, the assistant vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Health Grand Rapids, said that the vaccination site at DeVos Place is running like a well-oiled machine.
He said, “Once we are fully functional with the vaccines that we need, we should be able to run 20,000 or more over the course of about a 16-hour workday so to speak.”
The health system is also on track to hit its 200,000th vaccination in the next few days.
Brasser said, “We have been right around 190,000, so we have a clinic today at 60th Street, we have a number of clinics both occurring at 1300 Michigan where we have drive-thru capabilities as well as a regional hospital. But we are getting very close, so if we don’t hit it today or tomorrow, probably Monday.”
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Brasser said a total of 67,000 doses have been administered at DeVos Place so far, including 20,000 second doses.
“We are really focusing on essential workers, including restaurant workers, including grocery store workers, postal workers etc.”
Brasser added that people 65 and older can get into a vaccine appointment almost immediately.
Spectrum Health said that they have a system firmly in place to handle the jump in numbers, but adds that they’ll also need more volunteers and organizations to help in the fight.
“We have the space, we have the room set up, we have a great partnerships with the city and the county, with organizations on parking and wayfinding. So as we get more vaccines what we really have to focus on is getting vaccinators.”
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, donating food to workers or becoming a vaccinator, visit wmvaccineclinic.org to sign up or see if you have the necessary qualifications to be a vaccinator.
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