LANSING, Mich. — An effort is underway to have Michigan move to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines, once they become available.
A state Senate Resolution introduced Wednesday, Dec. 2, urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “to prioritize Michigan as one of the first states to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.’’
The people of Michigan "deserve special consideration'' as they "work to supply our nation with this much needed vaccine,'' the resolution states.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. has a large plant in Kalamazoo County, where production of the vaccine is expected to take place.
“The people of Michigan will play an integral role in producing the vaccine for widespread use in the United States,’’ the resolution states. “Pfizer’s largest manufacturing site in the world is located in Portage, Michigan, employing an estimated 2,200 Michigan residents.’’
Pfizer recently asked U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer, along with its partner BioNTech, on Nov. 9 announced their COVID-19 vaccine was found to be 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 in Phase 3 clinical trials, according to the resolution.
“The vaccine is expected to soon begin production following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,’’ the resolution states.
Pfizer and BioNTech expect to produce globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, according to Pfizer’s website.
Three Pfizer facilities in the U.S. will be part of the manufacturing and supply chain: St. Louis, Mo., Andover, Mass. and the Kalamazoo County site. Also involved is a facility in Belgium.
“BioNTech’s German sites will also be leveraged for global supply,’’ the Pfizer news release states. “Pfizer is confident in its vast experience, expertise and existing cold-chain infrastructure to distribute the vaccine around the world.’’
Michigan ranks in the top 10 states for the highest number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in November, 2020, according to the Senate resolution.
The Associated Press reported that Britain authorized use of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. The first vaccinations are expected within days — a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic, according to the Associated Press report.
Michigan Senate Resolution No. 153 was introduced by Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of the lives of people in Michigan and countries across the world,'' the resolution states. "It has caused a devastating loss of life and has struck a blow to our communities, businesses and the economy.''
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