LANSING, Mich. – On Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar requesting permission to purchase up to 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines for the state.
According to Whitmer, since she and eight other governors sent a letter to the Trump Administration requesting that it distribute the millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses that are being held back, there has been no response.
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“We remain ready to accelerate distribution to get doses into arms,” said Whitmer. “Toward that end, I am writing to request permission for the State of Michigan to make a one-time purchase of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine directly from Pfizer to be distributed and administered consistent with CDC guidelines and the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine.”
Read: Michigan health departments urge patience on COVID vaccines: ‘Demand is overwhelming’
The CDC released new data that shows Michigan is among the top 15 states when it comes to vaccine distribution, according to the governor’s office.
“According to publicly reported information, the federal government currently has upwards of 50% of currently produced vaccines held back by the administration for reasons unknown. After the governors sent the letter, the incoming Biden administration announced that they will release all of the available vaccine doses that the Trump Administration is holding back,” read a statement from Whitmer’s office.
Read more: With virus surging, Biden to speed release of COVID vaccines
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 523,618 as of Monday, including 13,401 deaths, state officials report.
Monday’s update includes 4,536 new cases and 47 additional deaths over the past two days.