By Laina G. Stebbins, Michigan Advance
Although it will be a while before Michiganders can let their guards down, there is now “hope on the horizon” thanks to the start of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the state, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday.
The first Pfizer vaccines in Michigan were administered Monday to frontline health care workers. Moderna vaccines could also be on the market as early as next week, pending emergency Federal Drug Administration (FDA) authorization.
“This month and next month are going to be tough with COVID cases, but literally every single month of 2021 is likely to be better than the preceding month,” Whitmer said during the press conference. “February will be better than January. March will be better than February. April will be better than March.
“Vaccines will become more available, the weather will get warmer, we’ll have an administration that is really focused on a national strategy around COVID. All of these things are reasons to feel very optimistic about 2021.”
In the meantime, Whitmer said that she sent yet another letter to legislative leaders on Monday, urging the GOP-controlled state Legislature to pass a COVID-19 relief bill of up to $100 million.
“I’m ready to sign a bill,” Whitmer said, emphasizing that state lawmakers need to step up because Congress has not.
The Michigan Department Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Tuesday that a total of 442,715 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 10,935 have died from the virus — an additional 4,730 cases and 183 deaths since Monday.
The state notes that 71 of Tuesday’s additional deaths come from its most recent review of vital records and testing data. This means that those individuals had already died, but are just now being flagged by the state as official COVID-19 deaths. The DHHS conducts this review process three times per week.
Whitmer also asked, as she has repeatedly in past months, that the state Legislature pass both a permanent extension of unemployment benefits and a statewide mask mandate to help struggling Michiganders and prevent further COVID-19 spread.
The Legislature only has two scheduled session days left of this week, which were to be the last of Lame Duck before winter break and new lawmakers are sworn in. The state House announced Tuesday that it will additionally be convening for session on Monday.
“I stand ready to sign a bill that gives them that help, but I can’t send it to myself. It’s on the Legislature to get it done, and it is my fervent hope that they do that before they take a break,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer also announced that she and a bipartisan group of governors — Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers — teamed up to share a holiday video message Tuesday encouraging residents to stay safe during the holiday season.
“This will be a year that we will tell generations of our family about,” Whitmer said. “There will be a whole college courses taught about the year 2020. Let’s make sure we are on the right side of history.”
DHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun shared that, fortunately, there does not seem to be a surge in cases stemming from Thanksgiving gatherings.
“But we can’t forget that our case rates remain alarmingly high, and our percent of tests that are positive is still four times what it was at the beginning of September,” Khaldun warned. “Now is not the time to let our guard down.”
Currently, the DHHS is seeing about 560 cases per 1 million — a downward trend during the past 22 days. The average percent of positive cases is also trending downward and stands at about 12% right now.
Khaldun said she is “cautiously optimistic,” but urged all Michiganders to continue social distancing and wearing masks — even once they receive both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, as scientists are still unsure whether vaccinated people can spread the virus to others.
She emphasized that the Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective, thoroughly tested and safe. The vaccine itself will not give you COVID-19; only a specific code so your immune system will be able to recognize the virus and effectively fight it off.
Feeling mild side effects after receiving the vaccine is normal and is a sign of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
The DHHS also has a new dashboard to track which providers are enrolled and where vaccines have been distributed, she announced. Nearly 300 providers across the state will eventually be able to administer vaccines at no out-of-pocket cost to Michiganders.
“This is a great week for Michigan. Our metrics to track how COVID-19 is spreading are improving, vaccines have arrived, people are doing their part. But we all have a personal responsibility to continue fighting this virus. Let’s get through the holiday season without seeing a deadly surge in cases,” Khaldun said.
Michigan’s general population will likely start receiving vaccines by late spring.
Attorney General Dana Nessel also spoke at the press conference to express her pride over Michigan’s role in creating and distributing the first COVID-19 vaccines, but also to warn consumers of “bad actors” that are taking advantage of the pandemic to scam Michiganders.
“I want to reiterate to residents around the state to avoid false claims, products, and services that promise to cure, treat or prevent COVID-19,” Nessel said, including phony vaccines or test kits sold online.
Nessel urged residents to shop local and support small businesses while staying wary of online scams.
In its daily report, DHHS notes an additional 35,456 Michiganders have been identified as “probable” cases for COVID-19, as well as 560 probable deaths. The department began tracking probable cases on April 5.
Combining the state’s confirmed positive cases with probable cases brings the total up to 478,171 statewide cases and 11,495 deaths.
The virus has been detected in all of Michigan’s 83 counties. The state’s COVID-19 fatality rate is currently at 2.5%.
As of Friday, 236,369 people have recovered from COVID-19, according to the state.
The first two cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state on March 10. Whitmer declared a state of emergency that day.
Johns Hopkins University reports that there are more than 73.2 million confirmed cases worldwide and 1.6 million deaths. The United States makes up a significant portion of those, as more than 16.6 million confirmed cases and 302,294 deaths have been recorded nationally.
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news outlets supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: [email protected]. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.
