Dearborn Democrat Debbie Dingell and southwest Michigan Republican Fred Upton sent a letter to the administration saying the surge in coronavirus cases has placed a significant strain on the state's public health infrastructure and hospitals have started to cancel surgeries.
Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950, the congressman also said increasing the allocation of vaccines to Michigan will help the state effectively deal with the surge. Currently, federal vaccine allocation is population-based and does not account for the rising case count.
The number of people going to hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 is rising so rapidly, that health systems are postponing surgeries to keep up with the high demand for emergency care and admissions. Nearly 3,700 people are hospitalized with the virus across the state.
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Speaking live on WWJ, Upton said if we don't double down on vaccines now... it's only bound to get worse.
"It's a dramatic increase," Upton told WWJ, "And we know we have to double down and that's what we're doing. We're asking the administration ... we're also calling, we're weighing in. The administration knows of our plight. It takes roughly about two to six weeks to get people vaccinated. By the time they get in the queue, by the time they get that second shot, if it's Moderna or Pfizer. If we don't ramp up now, get these vaccine dosages now we are going to be in worse shape a month from now. That's why we're urging action."
His message overall? Just like the governor's talking points regarding roads, Upton says he wants Michiganders to "go get the damn shot."