Michigan lawmakers react to FDA approving Emergency Use of COVID-19 vaccine

This is great news for our families, frontline workers, small businesses, and economy. In Michigan, a state built on hard work and innovation, a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be manufactured by Michigan workers at a Michigan business. I want to thank all of our dedicated Pfizer employees for their hard work. My administration, led by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, is developing a plan to distribute the vaccine, with a focus on our most vulnerable populations. And today, I announced the bipartisan Protect Michigan Commission to help raise awareness of the safety and effectiveness of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, educate the people of this state, and help protect the health and safety of all Michigan residents. One of the most important things every adult should be doing now is planning for how they will get the vaccine when it becomes available to them. I want to remind everyone that we must not let our guard down. It will take time to widely distribute the vaccine, and we must all continue to do our part by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands frequently.

Hard working scientists, both in government and the private sector, deserve our deepest appreciation for this momentous and unprecedented achievement, as do the thousands of vaccine trial participants. I am especially proud that Michiganders are working to manufacture and distribute the newly authorized Coronavirus vaccine. This milestone also could not have happened without our public health agencies, who have led a rigorous process to ensure these vaccines are safe and effective.

I will continue pressing the current Administration to ensure our government is prepared for the enormous task of distributing the vaccines to Michiganders and communities across the country. I also look forward to working with the incoming Administration, who I am confident will be effective in ensuring the equitable distribution of vaccines.

While today’s development is a bright light after a difficult year, we are still months away from vaccines being widely available to all Americans, and this is only one component of getting the pandemic under control. Even as our friends and families begin to be vaccinated, we must continue to use masks, social distancing, contact tracing, and other measures for the foreseeable future in order to stop the spread and save lives.