(WSYM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a massive economic recovery plan for the state on Tuesday that included funding for vaccinations.
The state's goal is to get 70% of residents over the age of 16 vaccinated.
After granting the request of several states, including Michigan, to release vaccine reserves, it was reported on Friday that the Trump administration did not have any reserves, and states would not be receiving increased shipments.
Whitmer said she was "incredibly disheartened" by the news, saying it was "maddening."
After the more contagious COVID-19 variant was detected in a Washtenaw County woman, the state says it is now racing to vaccinate as many people as it can.
Whitmer said if the state continues at the pace it is currently going, which is 60,000 vaccinations a week, it will take over two years to get 70% vaccinated.
The governor's recovery plan intends to use federal funding to ramp up vaccine distribution in Michigan; the goal is to have 50,000 shots in arms per day.
"We want to run out of vaccines every day, which keeps us at the top for more vaccines," Whitmer said. "It's a race against this variant as well."
