Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined President Joe Biden to tour the Pfizer global manufacturing campus in Kalamazoo, marking Michigan as one of President Biden’s first official visits while in office.
“President Biden has worked diligently to support Michigan’s vaccine operation since he took office four weeks ago, and today he followed through on his promise to visit our state and personally thank the hard-working Michiganders who are supplying the vaccine to the country,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The number of shots going into arms has increased dramatically since President Biden took office, and the president and I will not stop working until this pandemic is over once and for all. It’s heartening to know that Michigan has such a strong ally in the White House as we continue to curb this virus, equitably distribute vaccines, and work to return to life as normal.”
The manufacturing facility shipped the first doses of its safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in December. President Biden used this visit as an opportunity to thank the vaccine manufacturers who are hard at work to help our country end this pandemic. Governor Whitmer first visited the plant earlier this month, and during this trip and last she underscored the administration’s efforts to distribute the vaccine quickly, efficiently and equitably to residents across the state.
Since December, the state of Michigan has administered over 1,780,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with the number of vaccines administered already surpassing the number of total recorded cases in the state. In an effort to eliminate COVID-19, the state has developed a comprehensive vaccination strategy centered around vaccinating at least 70 percent of Michiganders age 16 and older as soon as possible. The state plans to administer 50,000 vaccinations per day and is working closely with the Biden administration to ensure there is adequate vaccine supply to do so.
Today’s visit to Pfizer’s global manufacturing site in Kalamazoo comes after the Biden administration has increased the supply of vaccines going to Michigan by 20% over the previous weeks and entered into agreements to purchase an additional 200 million vaccine doses. U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today joined President Biden during his visit to Pfizer’s manufacturing facility in Portage. While there, Peters joined President Biden in thanking the Michigan workers and researchers who are manufacturing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines across Michigan and the country.
“It was great to welcome President Biden back to Michigan today in one of his first official trips as President. This visit is a reflection of all the Michigan workers who have been involved in this extraordinary undertaking. Their efforts are not only saving lives but bringing us closer to finally defeating this virus,” said Senator Peters. “As Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I will continue working with the Biden Administration to ensure that vaccines are free and widely available to every community as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Peters was also on MSNBC’s Morning Joe this morning to preview the visit and discuss vaccination efforts and the need to pass robust COVID-19 relief through the American Rescue Plan. You can watch that interview by clicking here.
As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees FEMA, Peters has pressed for not only an increased pace in getting vaccines into peoples’ arms, but he has also called for a comprehensive distribution plan to help cash-strapped states better distribute vaccines. He has also urged better communication with local communities so they too have visibility into how much vaccine supply they can expect.
That’s a challenge he discussed with President Biden and Vice President Harris in the Oval Office earlier this month. Peters also supports the American Rescue Plan, which will provide robust relief to not only ramp up vaccination efforts, but provide resources needed to support workers, provide stimulus checks and support small businesses.
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