WASHINGTON (AP) – Washington will raise federal resources to support vaccinations, testing and therapy, but not vaccines, to Michigan in an effort to control the state’s worst COVID-19 transmission rate, the White House said Friday.
The announcement comes as the government strongly recommends Gretchen Whitmer, but not ordered, a two-week break on high school tuition, indoor restaurant meals and youth sports. She cites more contagious coronavirus variants and pandemic fatigue as factors in the boom, which has led some hospitals to postpone non-emergency procedures.
Hospitals across the country have quadrupled within a month and have been at a peak since last spring and fall.
‘Policy alone will not change the tide. We all need to act and take personal responsibility, “she said on Friday, while not ruling out future restrictions. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the seven-day seven-day Michigan was 492 per 100,000 people, well above the second worst New Jersey, with 328 per 100,000 residents.
President Joe Biden outlined the moves late Thursday in a call with Whitmer to discuss the situation in the state, senior officials said. That would not include a “boom” in vaccine doses, which Whitmer advocated and which is backed by Michigan lawmakers and members of Congress.
Instead, Biden talked about how the federal government intended to help Michigan better administer the doses already allocated to the state, as well as to increase testing capacity and drugs for virus treatment.
Whitmer, a Democrat, confirmed that she had asked Biden to send more vaccines to Michigan, especially the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.
“I advocated for a recovery strategy,” she said. “At this stage it is not being deployed, but I do not give up. … Today it’s Michigan and the Middle East. Tomorrow it could be a different part of our country. I really believe that the most important thing we can do is to make our efforts where the hot spots are. ”
Doses are distributed proportionally to the population according to population, but Whitmer called for extra doses to be shifted to states, such as hers, which are experiencing a sharp increase in cases.
“We are going to stick to the allocation system of allocation by state-adult population,” said Jeff Zients, White House coordinator COVID-19, saying it was “the fair and equitable way” to distribute the vaccines. He said the government wants to help Michigan administer more of its vaccines effectively.
Officials noted that providing more doses would not be as effective in limiting the increase in cases as increasing testing and recovery of mitigation measures such as wearing masks and restrictions on high-risk activities such as social gatherings. indoor dining and youth sports. This is because it takes at least two weeks to provide immunity.
Biden told Whitmer that his government is ready to send an additional 160 Federal Emergency Management Agency and CDC staff to Michigan to help with vaccinations, in addition to the 230 federal staff already deployed to the state for pandemic response support operations.
Biden added that he commands his administration to prioritize the distribution of doses through federal channels, such as the retail pharmacy program and community health centers, to areas of the state that Whitmer identifies.
“We are at war with this virus, which requires leaders from across the country to work together,” said White House spokesman Chris Meagher. “We are in close contact with Government Whitmer, who is working hard to keep Michigan safe, and is working in close coordination through a range of options that can help stop the spread of the virus.”
About 40% of Michigan residents 16 years and older received at least one vaccine dose. Michigan ranks 35th among states in its vaccination rate as of Thursday.
The governor’s recommended closure of high schools has provoked mixed reaction in education circles. Her administration closed high schools for a month during the state’s second boom late last fall.
“Research has shown that schools can be safe places to learn personally, as long as the spread of the community is under control – but with a higher risk in our communities, there is a greater risk in the classrooms,” said President of the Michigan Education Association, Paula Herbart, said. similar suspension of two-week personal learning at primary and secondary schools.
Restaurants, meanwhile, are questioning Whitmer’s recommendation not to eat indoors, but welcome the call for more vaccines.
“We trust that our operators will continue to provide a safe environment inside or outside in the coming weeks, and we trust Michiganders to do their part to act responsibly and with respect to help all of us achieve the outcome, says Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Accommodation Association.
___
Eggert reported from Lansing, Mich.