Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has volunteered to serve as a co-chair of the Protect Michigan Commission in an effort to help promote the state’s COVID-19 vaccination and education efforts.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday that Cabrera and the Tigers have offered to produce public service announcements in English and Spanish that will encourage Michiganders to get vaccinated. “Miggy” also will encourage Michigan residents to practice preventative measures such as properly wearing masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing to reduce the spread of the virus until the vast majority of people have been vaccinated.
Recommended Videos
“I am honored by Gov. Whitmer’s appointment as a co-chair of the Protect Michigan Commission and look forward to using my platform to increase awareness of how getting vaccinated can help slow COVID-19 infections,” Cabrera said in a Wednesday news release. “Based on what I know from getting vaccinated already, the shots are nowhere near as bad as the virus. Our goal with the Commission is to get as many people vaccinated as possible, and I hope my support toward that end is successful.”
Related: The ‘Elvis effect’ on vaccine hesitancy in the US
Whitmer created the Protect Michigan Commission (PMC) in January with appointees representing a “diverse array of industries, professions and backgrounds,” according to her office. The PMC is housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). They are charged with helping to ensure every Michigander has a plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19 once the opportunity becomes available. Their goal is facilitating at least 100,000 shots in arms daily.
As of Tuesday, April 27, Michigan has administered 6,657,997 vaccines -- 48.8% of Michiganders ages 16 and older have received at least one dose, with 35.9% percent of Michiganders ages 16 and older being fully vaccinated, moving the state closer to its goal of equitably vaccinating at least 70% of Michiganders ages 16 and older as soon as possible.
Other co-chairs of the PMC:
- Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
- Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, M.D., Chief Medical Executive and DHHS Chief Deputy for Health
- Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
- Former Lt. Gov. Brian N. Calley, Small Business Association of Michigan
- Eva A. Garza Dewaelsche, SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc.
- Tina Freese-Decker, Spectrum Health
- Jamie Brown, Michigan Nurses Association
- Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D., Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative