Number of Detroit children getting vaccinated is down, health department reports

Big push to get kids caught up on flu shot

A nurse holds a syringe filled with flu vaccine during a drive-thru flu shot clinic (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

DETROIT – According to the Wayne County Health Department, the number of Detroit children getting vaccinated is down from 82% to 47% since March when the first Michigan coronavirus cases were announced.

That news comes as health experts are pushing families to get caught up on shots due to the threat of coronavirus this fall and winter.

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Ascension Michigan held a free immunization fair on Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit.

The shots were for kids 6 months and older. Flu shots were also available.

Currently a number of companies are at the forefront of developing a coronavirus vaccine. States are expected to begin distributing vaccines as soon as this fall.

In the meantime, Michigan officials have warned that flu shots are vital to prevent a separate outbreak amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to officials, 187 US children died from the flu, including six children in Michigan, during the 2019-2020 flu season.

The US recorded 39 to 56 million estimated cases of the flu during the 2019-2020 flu season, the CDC reported. The nation also recorded 18 to 26 million medical visits due to the flu and nearly half a million flu hospitalizations, officials say.

As of today, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 111,524, including 6,591 deaths, state officials report.

The State of Michigan no longer provides updated coronavirus data on Sundays. On Monday afternoon new data on deaths and cases will be shared.