By David Fleet
Editor
Dr. Rick Sweeney described the vaccination he received on Saturday as ‘beyond good.’
“It’s absolutely necessary,” said Sweeney, a Goodrich High School teacher for more than 30 years. “I’ve had no side effects and my hope is that our entire nation will receive vaccination and put an end to this pandemic.”
On Jan. 23, Sweeney received the Moderna vaccine at Davison and had pre-registered for the appointment. He qualified as part of Phase 1B, which includes teachers (PreK-12th grade), support staff and child care workers who usually have direct contact with children.
“Don’t be afraid of the vaccine,” he said. “I have been teaching in person since the beginning of the pandemic and stayed healthy. I want to keep it that way.”
Like Seeney, thousands hope to stay safe too.
As of Tuesday, more than 30,000 people pre-registered for the COVID-19 vaccines in Genesee County as area health officials continue to seek additional doses from state officials.
Mark Young, chairman of the Genesee County Commission who represents the District 5 which includes Atlas Township, updated the community on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Young, who chairs the COVID Task Force, discussed the need for more vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna in the coming weeks.
Young reported that as of Jan. 26 there have been 20,772 cases of COVID-19 with 659 deaths in Genesee County. In the early weeks since the vaccine was first rolled out, 4,093 have been administered with 3,720 scheduled for this past week. No vaccines are being given at any site without an appointment
“We have the same problem that we had two weeks ago, ‘how many vaccines can we get?’ he said. “We keep asking the state for more we get a number that’s less than we ask for from the state. The state is still having issues getting the vaccine from the feds.”
Young said the state is having the same problem though all 83 counties of Michigan.
“We have run multiple sites throughout the county,” he said. “We have the ability to deliver the vaccines we receive.”
Young added that an additional 30 employees could be dedicated to help with the distribution. Genesee County residents can register at gc4me.