Beverly Hills, Mi - When Dr. Chadi Zaza rolled up his sleeve Thursday and bared his arm for a COVID-19 vaccination, the dose of Johnson & Johnson he received meant more than just protection against a deadly virus.
“We want to pay back the community that is doing so much to help us address the issues facing Syrian refugees,” said Dr. Zaza, the president and CEO of Rahma Worldwide Aid and Development, a non-profit agency based in Beverly Hills that provides support and services for refugees. “We want to show them that we appreciate everything they have done – every donor, every supporter, everyone who cares about humanity – we want to show them some appreciation.”
The clinic, which vaccinated 200 community members at Rahma’s headquarters in Beverly Hills, was also a welcome addition for the Oakland County Health and Human Services Division, which is setting up clinics throughout the county to reach underserved communities. It was one of six smaller vaccination clinics held this past week targeting communities that might have difficulties accessing the vaccine.
The smaller clinics complement Oakland County’s other, larger vaccination sites around the county, including drive-thru sites in Rochester and West Bloomfield, and large-scale clinics in Southfield, Novi and Pontiac.
“Making sure we touch every population in the county is so, so important,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, during a visit to the Rahman vaccination site. “The sooner we get as many people as possible vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to some sense of normalcy and enjoy all the things we’ve missed in the last year.”
Oakland County is making progress on its top priority of vaccinating its most vulnerable population – seniors – and 70% of them have received at least one dose. Of the county’s overall population of more than 1 million eligible adults, 40% have received at least one dose.
Working with hospital, health care and pharmacy partners, the county is ramping up vaccination efforts as the state provides more doses. Oakland received 37,090 COVID-19 doses this week after getting only 1,950 weekly doses when vaccines first became available in December.
“I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, but that tunnel is still dangerous, especially with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases,” Coulter said. “We still need to stay on guard, and do everything possible, including masking up, continuing to socially distance and get vaccinated.”