LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging Michiganders to stay vigilant amid announcements that a COVID-19 vaccine could be available soon.
On Monday, Pfizer said that its COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 90% effective, putting the company on track to apply later this month for emergency-use from the Food and Drug Administration. However, the company cautioned that the effectiveness rate could change by the time the study ends.
“This is great news for our families, our frontline workers, and our small business owners,” Whitmer said about the vaccine. “Michigan has always been on the forefront of innovation, and I am proud to see that Pfizer, a Michigan business and one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the world, will produce the vaccine in our great state.”
Also on Monday, the Biden-Harris transition team announced the COVID-19 advisory board, which will help Biden develop his administration’s pandemic response once he takes office.
The board will be led by former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University public health care expert Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.
Whitmer applauded Biden for the implementation of this advisory board, saying people need to remain vigilant, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Michigan and across the country.
“We must remember that when the vaccine is ready, it will take time to distribute, and we need everyone to continue doing their part to protect each other from COVID-19,” Whitmer said.
“That’s why it’s so important that President-Elect Biden has announced a team of medical experts to lead our country’s COVID-19 response. It is crucial that leaders across the country listen to science and the recommendations of health experts, and President-Elect Biden has made it clear that he shares that commitment. I look forward to working closely with him and medical experts everywhere to fight this virus and save lives.”
The U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day, frequently breaking records for daily cases. The United States has more than 9.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
In Michigan, a record-high of 6,225 COVID-19 cases was reported Saturday, shattering the previous Thursday’s record of 5,710.
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