PORTAGE, MI -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer toured the Pfizer facility where the COVID-19 vaccine first rolled out to millions of eager people awaiting relief from the pandemic.
During her visit Wednesday, Feb. 3, Whitmer learned more about Pfizer’s ongoing work to administer the vaccine and underscored her administration’s efforts to distribute the vaccine quickly, efficiently and equitably to residents across Michigan, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“This virus has challenged all of us in nearly every way imaginable, and yet through it all, the people of our state have stepped up and demonstrated the type of resilience, innovation and grit that defines us as Michiganders,” Whitmer said. “We are working to ensure equitable distribution of the safe and effective vaccine and I encourage everyone to continue making a plan to get vaccinated and to keep wearing their mask until the pandemic is over. Together, we can and will end this pandemic once and for all.”
The governor’s visit came at a time when many 65-plus residents, and others now eligible to receive the vaccine, are voicing frustrations at the pace of vaccinations and difficulty in getting an appointment to receive the first of two doses.
Related: Frustration high among West Michigan seniors waiting for COVID-19 vaccine appointment
Since December, 1,028,286 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered statewide, with the number of vaccine doses given now surpassing the number of recorded COVID-19 cases in the state, the release said.
“Michigan continues to make significant progress as we build out the most extensive vaccine program in our state’s history to ensure that every eligible Michigander who wants a vaccine will get one,” Whitmer Press Secretary Bobby Leddy said in a statement emailed in response to questions from MLive. “We take pride in the fact that Michiganders at Pfizer are playing a leading role in manufacturing a safe, effective vaccine to help us eradicate this deadly virus, and Governor Whitmer wanted to visit the plant to personally thank these heroes for their work.”
The state plans to vaccinate 70% of residents age 16 and older “as soon as possible,” according to the news release from Whitmer’s office. The goal is to administer 50,000 vaccinations per day “when there is an adequate supply of vaccine to do so,” the release said.
A lack of vaccine supply has been cited by officials across the state as the reason for delays in getting people vaccinated.
Currently, those eligible for vaccines include those age 65 and older, as well as healthcare workers, teachers, first responders and correctional officers. But getting the vaccine has proven difficult for many of the residents who are currently eligible.
Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, among the first in the area to begin vaccinating 65-plus residents, now often has a message at the top of its website saying all vaccine appointments are currently filled. It does not say when appointment scheduling for that group will be offered again.
In the last week of January, the state administered an average of about 31,000 vaccines per day, nearly 20,000 fewer than the state’s goal.
Related: Michigan passes million mark on COVID-19 vaccine shots, as vaccination program gathers steam
Despite Pfizer’s vaccine production facility being located in the state, Michigan receives the vaccine supply through the federal government just like all other states. Whitmer and others have said they could do many more vaccinations per day if the state had a larger vaccine supply.
“We know that the vaccine is the most effective way to get back to our normal day-to-day activities, which is why it is so good to see the Biden Administration doing everything in their power to increase the number vaccines that are available to states as quickly as possible, and we will continue to work with them to expand our vaccine program,” Leddy said, in the emailed statement from Whitmer’s office.
For many across the state, frustration is high among seniors waiting for the vaccine. Across the country, 81% of all 421,378 deaths from COVID-19 have been among people 65 and older, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data dated Wednesday, Feb. 3.
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