GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan ranks 7th worst in the nation for administering COVID-19 vaccines, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Six other states -- Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina -- have vaccinated fewer people per capita, the data showed.
Michigan received more than 520,000 doses of Pfizer's and Moderna's coronavirus vaccines as of Monday, but only about 27% of those vaccines doses had been administered, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). This means that three quarters of the vaccines sent to Michigan -- nearly 380,000 doses -- are still in freezers.
As of Tuesday, Dec. 5, Michigan reported a total of 504,410 cases of COVID-19 and the death toll is nearing 13,000.
Healthcare workers, first responders, and those who work or live in long-term facilities are among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines as part of the state's phased vaccination rollout plan.
Spectrum Health workers were some of the first to be vaccinated in the state and recently received their second and final dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. Some Spectrum employees received the first doses on Dec. 14, and in the time since, the hospital system -- with the help of the Michigan National Guard -- has vaccinated over 11,000 employees.
When MDHHS first announced the vaccine plan, officials anticipated high demand and shortages of the vaccine. According to the Associated Press, it's estimated than no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available before the end of the year, and both vaccines require two doses.
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