Governor Whitmer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun Statements on President Biden’s 70% Vaccination Target

May 4, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

May 4, 2021 

Governor Whitmer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun Statements on President Biden’s 70% Vaccination Target

LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun issued the following statement after President Joe Biden announced a national goal to have 70% of Americans get at least one dose of the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine by July 4th. The announcement comes after Governor Whitmer unveiled her ‘MI Vacc to Normal’ plan to base additional re-engagements on vaccination rates, with the final step being 70% of eligible Michiganders receiving one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“In Michigan and across the United States, frontline healthcare workers, hospitals, and state and local governments are working tirelessly to administer doses of the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines and save lives,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “After reaching 200 million shots in arms by President Biden’s 100th day in office, the federal government is following Michigan’s lead by announcing a new goal to have 70% of Americans vaccinated with at least one dose so we can return to the normalcy that we all crave as safely as possible. This is in line with the MI Vacc to Normal challenge we rolled out last week which ties re-engagements to certain vaccination metrics. So far, Michigan has administered over 7 million doses to more than 50% of Michiganders 16 and up, but to reach the 70% target, we will all have to do our part. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get your COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines are trusted by doctors and our best shot at being free from this pandemic and the quickest way for our lives to return to normal. From polio to smallpox, vaccines have a long history of hope and healing. So, if you have gotten your shot already—thank you—I encourage you speak with friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues about your experience. We are getting closer to our goal and as more Michiganders get vaccinated, we can get Vacc to Normal and emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever before.”

“Getting the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. “I am proud that more than 50% of Michiganders have received their first dose and almost 40% have completed their vaccination. Vaccines give you the freedom and peace of mind to be able to do more things, but we still have work to do to reach our goal of vaccinating at least 70% of residents ages 16 and up. Get one of the three safe and effective vaccines as soon as you are able, and please remember you need to get your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to get the full immunity that these vaccines offer.”

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