(WWJ) Young Michiganders between the ages of 5 and 11 years old will soon be able to receive a coronavirus vaccine after a move by the governor.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday issued an executive directive to state departments and agencies to expedite the ordering and distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric coronavirus vaccinations.
Whitmer is urging parents to protect their kids by signing them up for the vaccine, which Dr. Anthony Fauci said will “very likely” be available within the first two weeks of November.
To be prepared when the approval of the vaccine is granted the State of Michigan has pre-ordered 287,700 doses for the state's children.
“Today, we’re taking action to keep our kids safe from COVID-19,” said Whitmer. “This is a game-changer for our kids that will protect them as they continue to learn in-person in the classroom this school year, participate in extracurricular activities, or see friends and family this holiday season.”
The pediatric vaccine was nearly 91% effective during the trial at preventing symptomatic disease from COVID-19 in the specified age group, based on data provided by Pfizer.
In order to speed up the administration of pediatric vaccinations, the executive directive requires:
· The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to ensure vaccine availability to all eligible children in Michigan.
· Pediatric vaccination providers will need to enroll as COVID-19 vaccine providers and educate pediatricians and family practice advisors about eligibility, barriers to access, and the importance of the vaccine.
· The vaccine will be promoted in settings that facilitate ease of access, like child and adolescent health centers serving grades K-12, federal qualified health centers, pharmacies, local health departments, and community clinics.
· Promotion of equity in accessibility of pediatric vaccination, considering barriers to access presented by geography, income, age, race, ethnicity, primary language, or disability status.
“Being able to vaccinate children ages 5-11 with the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine brings us hope and also an opportunity to urge all eligible Michiganders to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “We know these vaccines work. Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and now 825,000 children in our state are now eligible to be protected.”
The State of Michigan is required by the directive to regularly report the proportion of children ages 5 to 11 who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. To date, nearly 69% of Michiganders 16 years or older and 66.9% of Michiganders 12 years or older have received at least their first dose of one of the three vaccines.
From January to October, unvaccinated Michiganders accounted for 93.1% of COVID cases, 90.7% of hospitalizations and 90.5% of deaths, according to state-repotted statistics.
“Vaccinating kids and teens against COVID will protect their health, allow them to re-engage more safely in activities they’ve missed out on this past year, and protect more vulnerable classmates and family members,” said Dr. Matthew Hornik, DO, President of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians (MIAAP). “Pediatricians are the immunization experts, remain at the forefront of care for children, and pediatricians are available to discuss questions and concerns with the families they know and trust.”
Michigan residents can find more information about the COVID-19 vaccine can visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine. The latest information on outbreaks is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus.
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