At a press conference in Lansing Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that Michigan will hit more than five million vaccinations by the end of the day.
While vaccine supply has increased dramatically since the Biden Administration took office, the state is currently experiencing a serious spike in COVID-19 cases that is putting pressure on Michigan hospital systems.
To slow the spread of the virus and protect more Michiganders, the governor renewed her call for the federal government to surge additional vaccines to Michigan, while also urging high schools to shift to remote learning, encouraging diners to choose outdoor dining or takeout instead of indoor seating, and recommending youth sports suspend in-person activities for the next two weeks.
“Administering more than five million doses of the safe and effective COVID vaccine in under four months is a big deal, but we’ve still got a lot more work to do,” said Gov. Whitmer.
“Right now our numbers are alarming, and we all have a role to play to get our state moving in the right direction again. That’s why I’m renewing my call on the federal government to surge additional vaccines to our state. And it’s why I’m urging high schools and youth sports to voluntarily suspend in-person activities for the next two weeks. This is a team effort. It's on all of us to do our part by masking up and getting vaccinated to protect ourselves and our families, so we can get back to normal. Let’s get it done.”
While many states across the country have dropped basic health protocols altogether, the State of Michigan continues to implement smart health policies and mitigation measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, including a statewide mask mandate, limits on indoor social gatherings larger than 25 people, expanded testing requirements for youth sports, and dozens of pop-up testing sites across the state.
“Based on the increase in positivity rates and hospitalizations, we need the help of Michiganders,” said Tina Freese Decker, President & CEO of Spectrum Health. “We ask you to practice the safety behaviors that we know work and get vaccinated as soon as possible. This will help us slow the spread and hopefully this will be our last surge.”
To date, Michigan has administered more than five million vaccines, moving the state closer to its goal of equitably vaccinating at least 70% of Michiganders ages 16 and older as soon as possible.
Last week, Whitmer raised Michigan's COVID-19 vaccination goal from 50,000 to 100,000 shots per day. After announcing the state had surpassed four million vaccines administered on March 29, another one million vaccine doses were administered in less than two weeks to reach the five million vaccine milestone.
For the latest information on Michigan’s response to COVID-19, please visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus. You may also call the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136, or email COVID-19@michigan.gov.
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