Looking to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment? Michigan residents can sign-up with their local health departments or with health systems offering appointments. Many local pharmacy chains are providing COVID-19 vaccinations. Just this week, CVS announced that it will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines by appointment as early as Sunday, March 21 at select CVS Pharmacy locations in Michigan. Walgreens, Kroger, Walmart and Rite Aid pharmacies also administer COVID-19 vaccines to eligible Michigan residents with an appointment at select locations. Meijer is accepting reservations for the Ford Field vaccination site that will open on March 24 as well as their own local store pharmacies.
Click here to see if you are eligible for the vaccine. Here are some COVID-19 vaccine web links and phone numbers to schedule an appointment at a retail pharmacy or the Ford Field site.
1. Meijer Pharmacies and Ford Field – 3 ways to sign up:
- Click here to register with Meijer
- Text EndCOVID to 75049
- Call the MDHHS COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1) – phone lines are expected to be very busy
2. CVS – 2 ways to sign-up:
- Click here to register with CVS
- People without online access can contact CVS Customer Service: 800-746-7287.
3. Kroger – click here
4. Rite Aid – click here
5. Walgreens – click here
6. Walmart – click here
History will remember the development of the COVID-19 vaccines as tremendous scientific accomplishments that saved the lives of potentially millions. Other scientific discoveries have altered the course of history such as Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery of a mold that could kill the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. By the 1940s, that mold — eventually called penicillin — had become the first commercially available antibiotic. Penicillin was known as the ‘world’s miracle drug’ and was used to successfully treat previously life-threatening bacterial infections such as pneumonia, and many wound and childbirth infections. The discovery and mass production of penicillin laid the groundwork for the development of antibiotics that continues today.
In his 1945 Noble Prize acceptance speech in 1945, Fleming warned that resistance to penicillin could easily develop if the drug was not used correctly. He said:
“But I would like to sound one note of warning… The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops. Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant.”
The cautionary note of drug resistance continues to be told today – albeit in much stronger terms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 3 million Americans a year get an infection that’s caused by a drug-resistant microbe. An evaluation of antibiotic use in hospitals conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 56% of antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate in terms of the type of drug used, the duration they were prescribed, or the medical conditions for which they were given. An international team of researchers from the UK and India warn that diphtheria – a relatively easily preventable infection – is evolving to become resistant to a number of classes of antibiotics and in the future could lead to vaccine escape.
This Weekend Reading Series begins with the Path to Resistance, with information on the dangers, costs and recommendations on how to address this tremendous problem of antibiotic resistance. Next, check out Did You Know for a short article on orphan drug costs; financial impact of a measles outbreak; and new health screening recommendations. Do not miss Flashback Friday with articles on past pandemics; the Tuskegee experiment; and a great cartoon. Last but not least, check out From Head to Toe!
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. Path to Resistance
National Association of County and City Health Officials: Paper Demonstrates Tremendous Healthcare Costs Associated with Antibiotic Resistance
Axios: COVID antibiotic use raises concern for rising resistance, Pew says
Pew Charitable Trusts: Health Experts Establish Targets to Improve Hospital Antibiotic Prescribing
Johns Hopkins Hub: Antibiotic-resistant strains of staph bacteria may be spreading between pigs in factory farms and people in North Carolina
2. Did you know?
Medscape: A Single-County Measles Outbreak Cost Millions, Study Finds
University of Michigan Health: Most Dollars Spent on Top-Selling “Orphan Drugs” Don’t Go to Treat People with Rare Diseases
WebMD: Begin Diabetes Screening at 35 if Obese, Overweight
USA Today: New guidelines more than double the number of Americans eligible for lung cancer screening, but experts say it’s not enough
3. Flashback Friday
The Atlantic: We’re Just Rediscovering a 19th-Century Pandemic Strategy
Vox: Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here’s how humans beat it.
Dawn Mockler: Cartoon – “mommy what’s that on your arm?”
NPR: In Tuskegee, Painful History Shadows Efforts To Vaccinate African Americans
4. From Head to Toe
New York Times: You’re Not Imagining It: The Pandemic Is Making Your Hair Fall Out
The Smithsonian: How the Baseball Cap Went From Athletic Gear to Fashion Statement
The Atlantic: What Your T-Shirt Says About You
Becker’s Hospital Review: Podiatrists report ‘pandemic of broken toes’ amid shift to work from home
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
