Michigan health officials hope to vaccinate 5.4 million residents against COVID-19 by the end of 2021 using a phased approach likely beginning next week.
That total equates to 70% of adults age 18 and older statewide. Health experts say herd immunity is reached when 70% of people are vaccinated against an illness.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services laid out the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan in detail on Friday, including the order in which various population groups can receive a vaccine. The plan includes four phases of vaccinations:
- 1A — Health care workers who are in direct contact with patients and cannot work from home, along with residents of long-term care facilities.
- 1B — Workers in critical industries, such as laboratories or funeral homes.
- 1C — Anyone at high risk of a serious COVID-19 illness, including patients with chronic health conditions or age 65 and older.
- 2 — Anyone else in Michigan not included in those groups.
- The COVID-19 vaccine will help all our communities eliminate the virus,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. “Because initial allocations of vaccine will be limited, we must prioritize how the vaccine will be distributed across the state and will use the guidance and principles outlined by the CDC and national experts.”
The vaccine priority groups were established using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, which include input from a federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts and health leaders in Michigan.
Khaldun said Michigan health officials won’t wait to complete each phase entirely before moving to the next as enough vaccine doses become available. That means the state may be vaccinating multiple groups of people at the same time.
She doesn’t expect Michigan to reach Phase 2 for the general public until late spring 2021.
An expert panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration recommended approving the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday and the White House is pressuring the agency to grant final approval on Friday. Moderna is planning to submit its separate vaccine for approval later this month.
