Neighbors who take Detroiters to get inoculated will get $50 on a pre-paid debit card to reward their efforts starting Monday.
The new incentive announced Wednesday by Mayor Mike Duggan is part of the city's Good Neighbor" program. When the program was first introduced in February, residents were rewarded for driving their eligible neighbors to get vaccinated with a shot as well.
However, now that eligibility has opened up statewide to include everyone ages 16 and older, the Good Neighbor program is turning to a new incentive: money.
"My responsibility is to make this city the easiest place in America to get a vaccine," Duggan said Wednesday. "There are people who say, 'I'll never get it,' but most people fall in the middle ... and those folks, when they have support in their lives, tend to show up to get vaccinated."
Good-natured drivers from any community can participate, but are first required to register and the passenger receiving the vaccine must be a Detroit resident. Drivers can be paid $50 for each dose, meaning each neighbor vaccinated can yield $100 on pre-paid MasterCard debit cards.
As of Tuesday, Detroit reported a total of 46,077 coronavirus cases and 2,004 deaths, accounting for 11.5% of Michigan's death toll, which stood at 17,429 Tuesday.
Drivers can bring up to three passengers in one car, and get paid for all three ($300). However, after $600 in payments, the city will have to issue a W9 for taxes.
The city also offers $2 rides to vaccination sites for residents, but the new Good Neighbor incentive proves to be more cost effective and efficient for the city. The city pays a $35 base cost for the $2 rides and $50 for trips taking longer than an hour.
Detroit's Northwest Activity Center and Straight Gate Church will be used as Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sites, following an 11-day pause on the company's vaccine after a rare blood-clotting disorder was connected to the vaccine. Out of nearly 8 million to receive the vaccine, 15 people developed the condition and three died.
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and determined that administration should resume.
The "Good Neighbor" program is eligible for appointment-only vaccination sites. These sites include:
- TCF Center garage drive-thru, 89 Steve Yzerman Drive
- Northwest Activity Center, 18100 Meyers Road
- Straight Gate Church, 10100 Grand River Ave.
- Various churches participating in Community Saturdays
- Galilee Baptist Church
- Grace Community Church
- Kemeny Recreation Center
- New Providence Baptist Church
- Greater Emmanuel Church
- https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/04/28/detroit-good-neighbor-vaccine-program/4875909001/
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