With signs of spring beginning to show in Southwest Michigan, Berrien County Health Officer Nicki Britten said the county’s new daily COVID-19 cases and percent positivity rate have crept up in recent weeks.
“None of these at this moment are causing significant alarm, but we do need to remain vigilant, especially as we’re getting towards the end of this,” Britten said.
Britten said nearly a quarter of Berrien County residents over age 16 have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far. She said the county will continue to prioritize high-risk populations, like the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, when Michigan’s vaccine eligibility expands to all individuals age 16 and over on April 5.
Beginning March 22, Michiganders over the age of 16 with disabilities or medical conditions will be eligible to receive a vaccine.
Both the Berrien County Health Department and Spectrum Health Lakeland are changing how county residents can register for vaccination appointments. Both are replacing their pre-registration waitlists with online self-scheduling tools for residents to make appointments at upcoming clinics as they become available.
One year into the pandemic, Britten encouraged county residents to reflect on how they and their community have grown, and to mourn the things that they have lost.
"As we're starting to think about emerging on the other side of this, we can be really intentional about the kind of community that we're trying to build and that we want to live in and that we want to be a part of," Britten said.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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