The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention track COVID-19 infection rates. In Grand Rapids, nine of the top 10 zip codes hardest hit by COVID-19 surround Metro Health – University of Michigan Health’s Community Clinic. More than half of Kent County COVID-19 cases have been recorded here.
With a focus on care for underserved communities, Metro Health will begin distributing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine from its Community Clinic located at 781 36th St. SE near Eastern Avenue. Metro says the Moderna vaccine doesn’t require the ultra-cold freezers like the Pfizer vaccine, and in clinic trials, the Moderna vaccine is “highly effective across ethnic and racial group.”
In a news release Metro said, “In 2020, 60 percent of clinic patients were from non-white backgrounds, including 34 percent who listed their background as Black or African American and 11.5 percent who listed their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino. With about 30 languages spoken by patients, 15 percent of office visits required an interpreter, most often for Spanish, Nepali and Burmese.”
The clinic is following eligibility guidelines. Patients are asked to schedule by phone of online using MyChart. Those most at-risk patients will be contacted by clinic staff.