vaccine

Today on Stateside, what it could take to get Michiganders who are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves. Also, no, you’re not imagining it — why your seasonal allergies seem to be getting worse. Plus, the effort to make the great outdoors safe and accessible for Black and brown Michiganders.

Though COVID-19 vaccination appointments are becoming more widely available by the day, scheduling a dose can still be a tricky task. Depending on where you live, it might be easier for you to get vaccinated if you cross state lines. Some Southeast Michiganders have gone to get their vaccines in Ohio, where — at the moment — supply seems to be outpacing demand.

Today on Stateside, mass vaccination sites are opening in Michigan’s largest cities as the state races against another spike in COVID-19 cases. Also, we check in with two public health officials about the challenges of reaching herd immunity. Plus, the history of sea shanties sung by Black sailors on the Great Lakes.

Today on Stateside, nearly four million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state of Michigan. A pharmacist discusses how pharmacies can help get vaccines into communities. Also, a look at the history of something we’re all familiar with — mask fatigue. Plus, a deep dive on an elusive Great Lakes denizen: the deepwater sculpin.

Today on Stateside, we talk about the plan to convert Ford Field into a regional mass vaccination site. Also, a rapper and activist discusses how music can help young Black men and boys tell their stories and work through trauma. Plus, on this unusual St. Patrick’s Day, we'll hear about the history of Michigan's Irish immigrants—from Corktown to Marquette.

Governor Whitmer announced this week Michigangers age 50 and up are eligible for the vaccine. But there are still many younger essential workers who still can’t get vaccinated, despite constant interaction with strangers. 

Front-line workers in Michigan’s food processing facilities, grocery stores, and big-box stores have had no choice but to show up for work, interacting with customers that are sometimes physically distanced, and sometimes not. 

Today on Stateside, a third type of vaccine to prevent COVID-19 will be available to qualifying Michigan residents in the coming weeks. A journalist discusses how the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could help local health officials get more vulnerable populations vaccinated. Also, a look at what it takes to find work in Michigan’s booming cannabis industry. Plus, the path to some kind of normal after a year of pandemic living.

Today on Stateside, how the pandemic is delaying parole for people who are incarcerated in Michigan, even as prisons continue to have outbreaks of the virus. Also, two grocery store workers discuss waiting for a vaccine after a year of being on the front lines of the pandemic. Plus, why the United Auto Workers corruption scandal isn’t over yet.

Today on Stateside, Wayne State University has a low COVID-19 infection rate among Michigan’s major universities. We talk with the school’s president about how the institution has been keeping case numbers down. Also, an activist discusses the ongoing effort to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to people with disabilities in Michigan. Plus, the co-founder of one homegrown restaurant chain talks reopening at a limited capacity.

Today, on Stateside, we talked with photographer Leni Sinclair about her years of political involvement and her stunning photos of Detroit’s stages and people. Also, how Detroit leveraged help from a large and well-funded partner to coordinate its massive effort to vaccinate residents. 

In the archives at the Grand Rapids Public Library, there is a recording, made by the historian Carolyn Shapiro-Shapin in 1998.

Vaccine distribution in Michigan has been geographically uneven. But there’s a reason for that, says a public health official in the Upper Peninsula. The hard part, she says, can be explaining that to residents anxious to get vaccinated.

The state of Michigan has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines, and frontline health workers and residents of long-term care facilities are first up to receive the vaccination.

Today on Stateside, old tensions between Governor Whitmer and state legislative leaders flared during the lame-duck session. Plus, a conversation with the author of the satirical novel The Great American Cheese War about its eerie parallels with some of 2020’s biggest stories. And, we talk more about the vaccines and how distribution is going in Michigan. 

Crowds cheered this weekend as the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine rolled out of the production plant in Portage, Michigan. It was an emotional moment for some health care workers, too, as they became the first in the state to receive vaccinations. This historic step brings a cautious hope at the end of a devastating year. It also highlights how vaccine production has changed amid shifts in American science, medicine, and culture over the past several decades.