Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun provided an update Wednesday on vaccine rollout and the MI Vacc to Normal Challenge. They were joined by Dr. Srikar Reddy, President-Elect of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, and John Walsh, President and CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association.
The Governor praised Michigan’s progress on vaccinations. Michigan has reached the first milestone of the ‘MI Vacc to Normal’ plan, and the Governor anticipates that MIOSHA will take action allowing offices to allow in-person work on May 24.
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have also decreased since mid-April. She encourages Michiganders who have not gotten vaccinated yet to get their shots as soon as possible.
Khaldun said Wednesday that the state is asking family doctors to administer the COVID vaccine, and the FDA is expected to approve the vaccine’s use in 12-to-15 year-olds.
“I’m asking all parents today to take this virus seriously and take your child to get vaccinated,” Khaldun said.
Khaldun says the largest proportion of positive cases this spring has been in teenagers and young adults.
Whitner pointed out that fewer people are getting shots now, and if that doesn’t change, it will take longer to lift restrictions and the state’s mask mandate.
At the press conference, Whitmer was asked about her four-day trip to Florida to visit her ill father, which happened at a time when she was publicly encouraging everyone else to avoid traveling.
“When a family member of mine needs a little help, though, I’m going to show up,” Whitmer said. “Just like when we have a crisis here, we’re going to work 24/7 to keep the people of this state safe. I showed up when I was needed. I did a lot of cooking, a lot of cleaning. I also did my day job, meaning I was on regular calls and conferences with my team.”
She argued that the plane ride there was not a gift , which would be illegal for her to accept under state lobbying laws. Michigan Republican Party leadership held an event on Wednesday in which they labeled Whitmer as a hypocrite for traveling while telling others not to.
“The governor refuses to tell us how she paid for the trip,” GOP spokesman Ted Goodman said.
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