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Michigan
Expanding
Access
to Safe,
Effective
COVID-19
Vaccine
Starting
Monday
Michiganders
over age
50 with
medical
conditions
and
disabilities
and
caregivers
of
children
with
special
health
care
needs
will be
eligible
March 8;
all
Michiganders
over age
50
eligible
March 22
LANSING,
MICH. To
help
reach
the
state’s
goal of
vaccinating
70% of
Michiganders
over age
16 and
bring a
quicker
end to
the
COVID-19
pandemic
in
Michigan,
Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer
and
Michigan
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(MDHHS)
officials
today
announced
the
state is
expanding
vaccination
eligibility
beginning
Monday,
March 8.
This
change
follows
the
announcement
by
President
Joe
Biden
that
ramped-up
production
will
provide
enough
doses
for 300
million
Americans
by the
end May.
MDHHS is
moving
forward
with the
vaccination
of
Michiganders
age 50
and
older
with
medical
conditions
or
disabilities
and
caregiver
family
members
and
guardians
who care
for
children
with
special
health
care
needs.
Beginning
Monday,
March
22,
vaccine
eligibility
will
again
expand
to
include
all
Michiganders
50 and
older.
To date,
more
than 40%
of
Michiganders
age 65
and
older
have
been
vaccinated.
“The
more
people
we can
get the
safe and
effective
vaccine,
the
faster
we can
return
to a
sense of
normalcy,”
said
Governor
Whitmer.
“I urge
all
eligible
Michiganders
to get
one of
the
three
COVID-19
vaccines
to
protect
you,
your
family
and your
community.
We’ve
already
administered
over 2.3
million
doses to
Michiganders
of all
races
and
backgrounds,
and
yesterday’s
announcement
that our
national
supply
will be
enough
to
protect
all
Americans
by the
end of
May is
incredible
news.
And as
always:
mask up,
practice
safe
social
distancing
and
avoid
large
indoor
gatherings
where
COVID-19
can
easily
spread
from
person
to
person.
We will
eliminate
this
virus
together.”
“Over
2.3
million
doses of
the safe
and
effective
COVID
vaccines
have
been
administered
in
Michigan,
and we
know
more
vaccine
is
coming
into the
state,”
said Dr.
Joneigh
Khaldun,
chief
medical
executive
and
chief
deputy
for
health
at
MDHHS.
“We are
pleased
to
expand
eligibility
for more
people
to get
vaccinated
as we
continue
to focus
on our
most
vulnerable
and
those at
highest
risk of
severe
illness
due to
COVID-19.
We are
well on
our way
to
vaccinating
70% of
Michiganders
age 16
and up.
With
three
safe and
effective
vaccines
now
authorized
for use,
people
should
get the
first
vaccine
available
to them.
These
vaccines
are the
way we
are
going to
end this
pandemic.”
All
vaccine
providers
may
begin
vaccinating
the two
new
priority
groups
of 50
and
older
with
medical
conditions
or
disabilities
and
caregiver
family
members
and
guardians
who care
for
children
with
special
health
care
needs by
Monday.
Those
eligible
to
receive
a
vaccine
should:
•
Check
the
website
of the
local
health
department
or
hospital
to find
out
their
process
or for
registration
forms;
or •
Check
additional
vaccination
sites,
such as
local
pharmacies
like
Meijer,
Rite Aid
or
Cardinal
Health
(U.P.
residents);
or •
Residents
who
don’t
have
access
to the
internet
or who
need
assistance
navigating
the
vaccine
scheduling
process
can call
the
COVID-19
Hotline
at
888-535-6136
(press
1),
Monday
through
Friday
from 8
a.m. to
5 p.m.,
Saturday
and
Sunday,
8 a.m.
to 1
p.m. or
can call
2-1-1.
It is
important
to note
that,
while
supplies
are
increasing,
there
remains
a
limited
amount
of
vaccine
available,
so there
may be a
waitlist
for
available
appointments.
As more
vaccine
becomes
available,
the
state
will
continue
to move
more
quickly
through
the
priority
groups.
Last
weekend,
the U.S.
Food and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
authorized
Johnson
&
Johnson’s
COVID-19
vaccine
for
adults
ages 18
and
older.
The
vaccine
is
deemed
85%
effective
in
preventing
severe
disease.
Michigan
will
receive
82,700
doses of
the
Johnson
&
Johnson
vaccine
this
week.
All
three
vaccines
in
circulation
demonstrate
high
efficacy
against
COVID-19,
particularly
with
preventing
hospitalizations,
severe
illness
and
deaths.
The
vaccines
have
comparable
safety
profiles,
with the
Johnson
&
Johnson
vaccine
having
the
benefit
of a
single
dose.
MDHHS is
accelerating
vaccination
of these
individuals
due to
concern
around
disparity
in life
expectancy
and in
an
effort
to
remove
barriers
to
vaccine
access.
The
state
recently
launched
a
COVID-19
vaccination
strategy
guided
by the
following
guiding
principles:
•
All
Michiganders
have
equitable
access
to
vaccines.
•
Vaccine
planning
and
distribution
is
inclusive,
and
actively
engages
state
and
local
government,
public
and
private
partners;
and
draws
upon the
experience
and
expertise
of
leaders
from
historically
marginalized
populations.
•
Communications
are
transparent,
accurate,
and
frequent
public
communications
to build
public
trust.
•
Data is
used to
promote
equity,
track
progress
and
guide
decision
making.
•
Resource
stewardship,
efficiency,
and
continuous
quality
improvement
drive
strategic
implementation.
MDHHS
follows
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC)
recommendations
for
prioritization
of
distribution
and
administration
of
COVID-19
vaccines.
CDC
recommendations
are
based on
input
from the
Advisory
Committee
on
Immunization
Practices,
the
federal
advisory
committee
made up
of
medical
and
public
health
experts
who
develop
recommendations
on the
use of
vaccines
in the
United
States.
The most
recent vaccine
prioritization
guidance can
be found
on
Michigan’s
COVID-19
website.
Even
with the
increase
of
COVID-19
vaccinations,
Khaldun
urges
everyone
to
continue
to
practice
preventative
measures
such as
properly
wearing
masks,
social
distancing
and
frequent
handwashing
to
reduce
the
spread
of the
virus
until
the vast
majority
of
people
have
been
vaccinated.
Michigan
residents
seeking
more
information
about
the
COVID-19
vaccine
can
visit
Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine.
Information
around
this
outbreak
is
changing
rapidly.
The
latest
information
is
available
at
www.Michigan.gov/Coronavirus
and
CDC.gov/Coronavirus
.
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