The Berrien County Health Department and Spectrum Health Lakeland are waiting for more COVID-19 vaccine doses to be available, and they are ready to ramp up the administration of them when they arrive. The two held a joint COVID update on Friday with Berrien County Health Officer Nicki Britten saying the supply sent to the county is based 75% on the senior population and 25% on critical infrastructure workers. Now that they’ve worked through most healthcare workers, they’ll dividing up vaccines through those two populations.
“We expect that there are probably 25,000 to 30,0000 older adults and 65-plus in Berrien County, so we’re working our way through that,” Britten said.
Spectrum Health Lakeland CEO Loren Hamel said the group can double the number of shots they’re giving out if and when supply allows. He also warned against believing vaccine misinformation you may see on social media or elsewhere.
“This vaccine is not made with eggs,” Hamel said. “There’s no mercury in it. There’s no microbots in it. There’s no fetal tissue in it. There’s no preservatives in it. There’s no evidence this is going to make you infertile. It does not commandeer your DNA in a way that changes it, it’s not embedded in your DNA.”
Still, Hamel said it is the individual’s decision to get the vaccine. He urged fact-based research. Everyone is advised to think now about how they’re going to get vaccinated. Britten said you can sign up for the health department’s waiting list or Lakeland’s through MyChart. Just don’t book more than one appointment.
