Several thousand Calhoun County area residents who are employed in the areas of food processing and agriculture are being moved up for COVID-19 vaccination options.
That begins March 1st.

Calhoun County Public Health Officer Eric Pessel tells WBCK despite the state’s decision to move those people up on the vaccination list, the issue is whether there is enough vaccine available to begin their dosing.

Just about every vaccine administration site in Michigan has had fewer vaccine doses available than willing recipients since the process began. But at least it is a move to help ensure that the people involved in food production at least are ready for the option of vaccination. That includes production workers at Battle Creek’s cereal companies along with those handling materials involved in food production. Farm employees handling food products are also eligible. All told, the Michigan Health and Human Services Department figures about 79 thousand people in Michigan are covered by the new vaccination order.

Michigan Farm News reports the state is trying to balance vaccinating a broader spectrum of the general public while focusing on a key element of daily life. A safe supply of food. Ben Tirrell is the associate legislative counsel for the Michigan Farm Bureau. He tells Farm News, “The update in the plan to allow for ‘frontline’ agriculture and food processing workers to be vaccinated starting March 1 will help maintain a safe and abundant food supply for the general public and avoid some of the disruptions we saw last spring. While we are still working with MDHHS to understand the specific workers that will become eligible and help them get in line, we will continue to advocate for vaccine availability for the entire agriculture and food industry as outlined in CDC guidance, but this is certainly a positive first step in protecting some vulnerable segments of our supply chain.”

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