(WXYZ) — The State of Michigan's current goal is to vaccinate 70% of residents over the age of 16 as quickly as possible.
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However, the vaccination process has had some snags. Per the COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard as of Wednesday afternoon, 831,150 vaccines have been distributed but 296,588 have been administered.
So, what's causing the discrepancy?
In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said there has continuously been a lack of strategy coming from the federal government in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said states had to figure out how to procure their own PPE and how to conduct testing.
"It took some time to ramp up," she said.
The same thing is happening with administering vaccines, Whitmer said; however, the process to administer vaccines is more complicated than the testing process.
Here's how it works:
The vaccines have to be stored at incredibly cold temperatures. Those who are eligible to receive one must schedule an appointment to do so. At the appointment, residents must fill out paperwork and schedule their second dose. Additionally, local health departments keep EMTs on site in the rare event of a reaction to the vaccine.
After the vaccine is administered, the patient must stay 15 minutes.
Michigan Chief Operating Officer Tricia Foster said it takes 18 to 28 minutes per person to administer the vaccine.
"Anywhere we don't have 100% of shots in arms on a weekly basis, we have a problem," Foster said.
Foster said it's an orderly process and certainty helps drive results, and the state is working to get better each and every day.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
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