Whitmer Directs State Agencies to Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Michigan
With rapidly changing federal vaccine policy and confusion about guidelines, eligibility and insurance coverage, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Wednesday, Sept.17, that orders state agencies to identify and remove barriers that could hinder Michiganders’ access to COVID-19 vaccines.
“Cold, flu, and COVID-19 season are upon us,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe and healthy.Today’s executive directive ensures Michiganders can get the COVID-19 vaccine if it’s right for them. According to medical experts, vaccines remain the most effective way to stay healthy.”
The directive instructs state agencies to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are covered by health insurance plans, there is clear safety and efficacy data, and guidance about who should get the vaccine.
Story highlights:
* Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sept. 17 an executive directive to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines for Michiganders.
* Whitmer instructed the state agencies to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are covered by health insurance plans,there is clear safety and efficacy data,and guidance about who should get the vaccine.
# Kennedy Jr.’s Shakeup of Vaccine Panel Sparks Concerns
Robert Kennedy Jr.,the current secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has taken swift action to reshape the nation’s vaccine policy, raising alarms among public health experts.
He also fired Susan Monarez, the director of the CDC, following a dispute over vaccines, and dismissed all 17 members of an independent vaccine advisory panel that makes recommendations to the CDC. He replaced them with his own appointees,many of whom are vaccine skeptics.
Called the advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the newly picked members of the panel are scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19 to discuss the safety and efficacy of vaccines that protect people from measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, hepatitis B and COVID-19.
That has many worried about whether further limits could be placed on long-approved and recommended vaccines and whether ACIP could alter the childhood immunization schedule.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, an infectious disease specialist who also is the chief medical executive for MDHHS, told the Detroit Free Press in late August that the nation is in “uncharted waters” with Kennedy Jr. at the helm of public health.
2025/09/17 16:45:53