During Wednesday evening's State of the State address, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discussed the progress made in the state regarding disseminating vaccinations, as well as the progress the state aims to make in the coming months.
"Despite many challenges, we’ve made great strides," Whitmer said during her third State of the State address.
Michigan is now sixth in the nation for administering vaccinations, with 800,000 residents vaccinated. That's currently more than the state's total positive COVID-19 cases. Still, there are concerns for increasing vaccinations with supply shortages reported in recent weeks.
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The goal is to have 50,000 shots administered daily, Whitmer said. That would ensure that 70% of people age 16 and older would be inoculated by August, according to an AP report. But at the current rate – which is about 29,000 shots per day – that amount of vaccinations wouldn't be complete until a year from now.
"I know people are anxious and ready to get the vaccine," she said. "That’s a good thing. The fact of the matter is: we don’t have the supply we need yet, but we will."
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Michigan is currently in Phase 1B of the vaccination process, which allows people 65 and older, frontline and essential workers access to vaccinations.
The phases of the vaccination:
- Phase 1A: Paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home as well as residents in long term care facilities.
- Phase 1B: Persons 65 years of age or older and frontline essential workers in critical infrastructure.
- Phase 1C: Individuals 16 years of age or older at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 infection and some other essential workers whose position impacts life, safety and protection during the COVID-19 response.
- Phase 2: Individuals 16 years of age or older.
Whitmer assured during her address that every Michiganders who want to get a vaccine will have access to it, and likely within the next few months. This seemingly addresses concerns over vaccine shortages across the states, which Whitmer anticipates the Biden administration will help move along more seamlessly once suppliers are more plentiful.
"Our medical objective is to vaccinate at least 70% of our population age 16 and up as soon as possible," Whitmer said. "The quicker we do this, the quicker we’ll have the normalcy we all crave – family gatherings, travel, graduations, concerts, and more."
