Apr 11, 2021 - Politics & Policy
Gov. Whitmer asks for more COVID-19 vaccines amidst surge in Michigan cases
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) reiterated her call for her state to receive additional COVID-19 vaccine doses amidst a surge in cases, she told Sunday's "Face the Nation."
Why it matters: Whitmer's previous pleas for more vaccine doses have been turned down by the Biden administration, which maintains that doses are allocated according to each state's adult population, not by surges, per the Detroit Free Press. Whitmer said the surge was driven by variants and pandemic fatigue.
- Whitmer also refuted criticism that Michigan was not distributing all of the doses in its possession.
- "I don't think there's a governor in the country that's leaving any vaccines on the table. And I can tell you that's certainly the case in Michigan," Whitmer said. "We are getting shots in arms. We got over a million shots in arms just in the last two weeks."
Whitmer praised the Biden administration's vaccine strategy but noted that it might need to consider some changes.
- "[B]y and large, they're doing a great job. I would submit, though, that in an undertaking of this magnitude, with such consequence, it's important to recognize where there might need to be some adjustments along the way."
- "We are seeing a surge in Michigan despite the fact that we have some of the strongest policies in place, mask mandates, capacity limits, working from home...despite all of that, we are seeing a surge because of these variants. And that's precisely why we're really encouraging them to think about surging vaccines into the state of Michigan."
