GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Tuesday, Gov. Whitmer was joined by top health officials to address the state's response to the Omicron variant, which is now the dominant variant strain here in the United States.
The governor pleaded with residents to take this pandemic seriously to stop the spread. She addresses four groups of people: the vaccinated, vaccinated people who've yet to receive their booster shots, parents, and the unvaccinated.
Gov. Whitmer said it is the latter, the unvaccinated people, who are not doing their part to help end the pandemic.
"We all see the stories playing out of people who've not been vaccinated, who desperately ask to be vaccinated while they're suffering from the impact of COVID while they're getting breathing treatments, while they're fighting for their lives, and it's too late at that point," said Whitmer.
The governor wasn't the only person pleading with Michiganders about doing their part. A doctor from Spectrum Health explained the grim reality of the pandemic saying more people dying from this virus could be prevented if people would do the right thing.
"From Dec. 3 to Dec. 9, there were 756 COVID deaths. That's over 100 people every day in one week who won't be here to celebrate the holidays, or ring in the new year. And there could be hundreds or 1000s more who won't be at our tables next year," said Elizabeth Hertel, the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
With COVID continuing to spread, many are wondering will the governor either enforce a mask mandate or shutdown things again. Whitmer said her focus is on educating the public.
"At this juncture, we've got tools we didn't have. We've got knowledge we didn't possess in the early days of the virus. We have used blunt tools in the early days. And we saved 1000s of lives doing that," said Whitmer.
Now, as we are in the middle of the holiday season where millions are expected to travel and be among family, health officials are urging people to get tested, get their booster and get vaccinated.
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