A recent poll by the University of Michigan asked local government leaders how they felt about the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines.

PORTAGE, Mich. – Friday was a big day for Michigan as President Joe Biden toured the Pfizer manufacturing facility in Portage. Biden witnessed firsthand the 1,300-acre manufacturing site with about 350 ultra-cold freezers holding millions of COVID vaccine doses getting boxed and sent out the door. READ: Biden outlines plan to ramp up US vaccine rollout while at Michigan Pfizer facilityAd“To highlight Portage, Michigan, where Pfizer vaccines are rolling, now we’ve been the epicenter of hope,” Whitmer said. “Every Michigander who wants a vaccine will get a vaccine,” she said. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the WHO, but Biden moved quickly after his inauguration last month to rejoin and confirmed that the U.S. would contribute to COVAX.

AdPfizer is also reportedly on track to ship out 200 million vaccine doses by the end of May this year, two months ahead of their original schedule, Bourla said. To help offer more flexibility to vaccination centers across the country, Bourla says Pfizer is also improving the longevity of stored vaccine doses with a new storage option. Following his tour of Pfizer’s largest manufacturing site, addressing the nation, President Biden thanked the Pfizer employees for their role in producing hundreds of millions of doses of the much-needed coronavirus vaccine. That’s how to beat this pandemic.”Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined President Biden on a tour of the Pfizer facility Friday, her team announced hours after the event. Several shipments of coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna have also been delayed to Michigan and other states this week due to severe weather conditions.

The White House has selected specific pharmacies in each state to receive and administer coronavirus vaccines to help ramp up vaccine distribution. See: What we know about the process of getting COVID-19 vaccine doses to pharmacies“Statewide, 20,000 doses are going to Ride Aid pharmacies -- 200 stores across the state. So that’s only going to leave 100 doses per store,” said Andrew Cox, director of the Macomb County Health Department. Macomb County is a large Michigan county with a large senior and vulnerable adult population. Last week, the state gave Macomb County about 7,300 doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Seniors in Washtenaw County are sharing their concerns over COVID-19 vaccine distribution and shortages. However, thanks to grocery giant Meijer help is on its way. DETAILS: Meijer to launch COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Michigan stores: What to know“We keep urging that seniors get their shot,” said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia of the Washtenaw County Health Department. She says while the City of Detroit is witnessing an increase in COVID-19 vaccine doses that is not the case for Washtenaw County. AdRead more: Wide COVID vaccine availability still months away for Washtenaw County residents, health official saysCoronavirus in Michigan

The 8,900 doses of Michigan’s Moderna vaccine that got too cold during shipment have been deemed OK to use, state officials said. On Jan. 19, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced several shipments of the Moderna vaccine that were sent out Jan. 17 left the recommended temperature range. McKesson completed an internal investigation and determined the cause of the issue with those 21 shipments, officials said. Based on information gathered during that investigation, Moderna has decided the doses were still viable upon arrival. AdThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated the doses can still be used to vaccinate Michiganders.

Michigan officials said 21 shipments of the state’s supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine got too cold during distribution. The cause of the temperature drop is under investigation by McKesson, state officials said. Each shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine is equipped with a temperature monitoring device during transportation. The majority of the 21 affected shipments were resent Monday night, with the rest sent out Tuesday, the state announced. No vaccine is shipped or distributed by MDHHS, state officials said.

DETROIT – With the COVID-19 vaccine starting to be distributed more widely people are rushing online to get signed up. Here is what you need to look out for when getting signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 vaccine dosesMore: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesThe FBI continues to track any suspicious activity. You may be asked to enter your name, date of birth, and address but it is not necessary to enter your social security number or any banking information. Read more: COVID-19 vaccine questions?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Due to lower-than-expected COVID-19 vaccine supply, the University of Michigan has paused vaccinations of people in the state’s 1B phase. Gretchen Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced the move to phase 1B on Wednesday. The state acknowledged, however, that not everyone from the first phase had received the vaccine. While Whitmer said not everyone from Phase 1A had to be vaccinated before people from 1B started receiving their first doses, many of the sites administering the vaccine announced they wouldn’t immediately be moving on to phase 1B on Monday. Garlin Gilchrist discusses state’s new COVID vaccination phaseMichigan’s handling of the COVID vaccine distribution process hasn’t come without speed bumps.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Michigan officials said adults 65 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, Jan. 11. For now, people will be required to have an online appointment to get a vaccine. Beaumont Health sent out 900,000 emails to seniors already enrolled in myBeaumontChart Thursday night, alerting them that appointments were available. At Beaumont Health, once you’ve secured the appointment, you will be directed to the hospital’s Southfield service center. “We have found this is the safest way to vaccinate the most people at once.”Phone appointments could be possible in the future.

I am fixing and we will move forward from there," Perna told reporters in telephone briefing. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)The Army general in charge of getting COVID-19 vaccines across the United States apologized on Saturday for “miscommunication” with states over the number of doses to be delivered in the early stages of distribution. I am fixing and we will move forward from there," Gen. Gustave Perna told reporters in a telephone briefing. There is no problem with the Moderna vaccine.”There’s a distinction between manufactured vaccine and doses that are ready to be released. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday accused the White House of “slow-walking the process.” Michigan is due 60,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in its second allotment, down from an anticipated 84,825.

Michigan healths officials offered an update Friday afternoon about distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, priority groups for vaccination and efficacy and safety information currently available. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and Robert Swanson, MDHHS Division of Immunizations director, hosted Friday’s event. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisory panel recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine needs to be granted an emergency use authorization. Initially, five Michigan hospitals would be the first to get the vaccine, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. it’s estimated that over a period of weeks the mRNA is naturally destroyed after it has been used to produce spike proteins.

Researchers around the globe are working to create a safe and effective coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, but once that’s been accomplished, distributing that vaccine to the world’s population is going to be a massive challenge. Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, plans to make 100 million doses of its vaccine by the end of the year. “It really is working against the virus.”Meanwhile, companies such as UPS are preparing to pick up, store and deliver the vaccine. “A few months ago we started to get good information about what temperatures would be required for these vaccines,” Wheeler said. That’s not something people should be doing with COVID-19, so how to physically vaccine people will be another challenge after distribution.