Gov. Whitmer unveils plan to tie Michigan vaccination rates to easing COVID-19 rules

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer outlined a plan that ties specific vaccination levels to rolling back COVID-19 restrictions during a news media event Thursday morning. 

The announcement mirrors the state's goal of vaccinating 70% of all Michigander's 16 and older, but comes as Michigan continues to grapple with the nation's worst pandemic outbreak. 

Replay:Gov. Whitmer update on Michigan COVID-19 response

“On our path to vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 16 and up, we can take steps to gradually get back to normal while keeping people safe," Whitmer said in a statement. 

"If you haven’t already, I encourage you to rise to the challenge and be a part of the solution so we can continue our economic recovery and have the summer we all crave.” 

Michigan coronavirus cases:Tracking the pandemic

Vaccinating Michigan:Tracking the progress of the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Whitmer outlined four steps to gradually ease restrictions: 

• Two weeks after 4.5 million Michiganders have received their first vaccine dose (55% of the eligible population), the state will lift requirements that employers mandate employees work remotely where feasible. 
• Two weeks after 4.9 million Michiganders have received their first vaccine dose (60% of the eligible population), the state will increase indoor capacity for sporting events, conference centers, banquet halls and other similar facilities to 25%. The state will also increase capacity limits at gyms to 50%, and lift curfews on restaurants and bars. 
• Two weeks after 5.3 million Michiganders have received their first vaccine dose (65% of the eligible population), the state will lift all indoor capacity restrictions and relax limits on social gatherings. 
• Two weeks after 5.7 million Michiganders have received their first vaccine dose (70% of the eligible population), the state will rescind the health department's face mask and gathering order and stop issuing similar rules "unless unanticipated circumstances arise." 

The entire plan revolves around people getting the first of two vaccination doses; two of three available vaccines require two injections. However, the total number of initial doses administered dropped more than 75% from April 14 to Monday. 

“We always knew there was going to be a moment when the supply would eclipse demand, and that’s where we are. We expected it to be coming … around this time, so things are proceeding as we anticipated," Whitmer said.

"But it also, I think, reaffirms for all of us how important it is that every one of us does our part to educate our co-workers or family or friends or neighbors to help people go and access a vaccine, and for employers to ensure they are encouraging their workforce as well.”

President Joe Biden has said he’d like the nation to be able to get back to normal by the July Fourth holiday, and Whitmer said that’s a “very real possibility” in Michigan. But, she said, “it’s dependent on us working together to get the majority of our population vaccinated — the vast majority.”

Pandemic regulations remain a hot political issue in the state.

Legislative Republicans previously leveraged their control of billions in federal and state funding in an effort to force Whitmer and health leaders to roll back restrictions. In the past, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, said the governor could have a bigger say in how that money is distributed if she and her administration agree to essentially do away with COVID-19 orders.

"It took 400 days too long for the governor to be straightforward about how she will navigate this disease," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, in a statement.

The Michigan Republican Party also recently pounced on news that Whitmer, Elizabeth Hertel, head of the Department of Health and Human Services and another key administration official vacationed or visited loved ones out of state after recommending Michiganders avoid travel if at all possible. 

After weeks of unmitigated growth in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, most COVID-19 trends are now headed in a safer direction.

"Data still indicates we have broad community spread," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive. 

More:Michigan's COVID-19 case rate appears to have peaked as surge slows

More:Inside a Michigan COVID-19 ward: Younger patients, familiar sadness and politics

Case rates are improving or remain stable in most Michigan counties, although Grand Traverse, Muskegon and Montmorency counties remain hot spots. The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests also is improving, dropping from a seven-day average high of 16.7% on April 9 to 12% on Monday. 

Almost 700 fewer people were admitted to hospitals on Monday, down from the peak of 4,211 on April 19. Deaths appear to have stabilized, at a seven-day average of about 62 per day. 

Yet Michigan's numbers remain worst in the nation with a seven-day average of 314 cases per 100,000 people — about three times higher than the national average per-capita seven-day average of 113.7 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Whitmer and Hertel have resisted calls from national health experts — and some members of the Democratic Party — to reinstate more pandemic regulations. The governor and the former health department director, Robert Gordon, vehemently defended instituting new rules in the face of COVID-19 surges in the past. 

Whitmer argues the availability of vaccines makes this surge different. She was to receive her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in a public event Thursday, part of her campaign to encourage everyone to get vaccinated.

But the state remains well short of its vaccination goal, and evidence indicates those trends are actually getting worse.

More:Michigan to resume use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after safety review

More:Detroit school district offers $500 incentive for teachers, staff to get vaccinated

The state wants to vaccinate at least 70% of Michiganders who are 16 or older, with the hopes that hitting that threshold will foster herd immunity and greater overall protection. It also set a goal of administering 100,000 doses a day on average, in the hope of hitting the 70% mark as soon as May.

Khaldun said Michigan is likely to surpass 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered this week, noting that 36% of Michiganders 16 and older are now fully vaccinated, and almost half of the state’s adult population has gotten at least one dose.

"I think the one thing that we've learned from this pandemic is that we are all in this together, no matter your age, your race, your ethnicity, your income, or what side of the political aisle that you are on," Khaldun said. "None of us is in a bubble. And what happens in one community or one age group impacts everyone.”

While data shows Michiganders flocked to vaccination sites immediately after everyone became eligible on April 5, more recent trends warn of decreased demand. On April 1, the state's seven-day average was more than 96,000 first and second doses daily. By Monday, that had dropped by more than 22% to less than 75,000 doses a day. 

Supply of vaccines now well exceeds demand in many parts of the state, and vaccine clinics have shifted from appointments to walk-up availability. 

In the city of Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday a new incentive to get residents their shots: a $50 prepaid debit card. Starting Monday, anyone who pre-registers and drives a Detroiter to get a vaccine will get the $50 card as a reward through the city's Good Neighbor program. 

The state implemented a slew of regulations in November in the face of a second pandemic surge. Those restrictions were largely removed in the coming weeks, culminating in an order on Jan. 22 to start allowing indoor dining at restaurants in a limited capacity. 

The same day Gordon issued that order, he also tendered his resignation. Since his departure, the health department has largely eased pandemic rules and refused to implement more stringent measures in the face of the recent deadly surge.  

Republicans in the Legislature have thanked Whitmer and the health department for not instituting new restrictions, but GOP party leaders have lambasted the administration's recent handling of the COVID-19 surge.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, and others have said despite dangerous levels of community spread, it's time for the state to roll back all restrictions and trust residents to keep each other safe. 

At the same time, legislative leaders want to know more about Gordon's departure from the health department. Although the GOP largely agrees with the actions taken by the department since he left, the fact that he received a $155,000 separation agreement that initially included a confidentiality clause resulted in huge pushback. 

Whitmer and Gordon eventually waived the clause, but neither has elaborated on why the former director resigned. After refusing to testify before the state House Oversight Committee, the group subpoenaed Gordon. He appeared before the committee Thursday morning. 

Ted Goodman, a spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, called Whitmer's news conference an effort to draw attention away from the Gordon hearing. 

"Whitmer is attempting to distract Michiganders from questions surrounding her hush money payoff to her former health director who mysteriously resigned in the middle of a global pandemic," Goodman said in a statement. 

But the Small Business Association of Michigan applauded the governor's plan. 

"For months, small businesses have sought metrics for reopening our economy and the ‘MI Vacc to Normal’ plan does exactly that," Brian Calley, president of the association, said in statement.

“This pandemic has been extremely difficult for everyone, and now we know what’s needed to help us return to more normal activities. Widespread vaccinations are the way out of this pandemic, and we urge Michiganders who have not gotten a vaccine yet to do so.”

Hertel said “despite the divisions we've unfortunately witnessed over the past year” over pandemic restrictions in the state, most Michiganders share a common desire to reopen stadiums, concerts, workplaces, restaurants and to be able to have big, in-person celebrations again.

“The four vaccination-based milestones that have been laid out today are that path forward to take us away from public health restrictions … so we can lift these gathering and mask orders. We're also exploring options to ease restrictions for summer events, such as festivals, fairs and golf tournaments.”

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.