Whitmer Statement on FDA Approval for Pfizer’s Vaccine 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2020

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Governor Whitmer Statement on FDA Approval for Pfizer’s Safe, Effective Vaccine

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement after the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s Emergency Use Authorization for the COVID-19 Vaccine:

“This is great news for our families, frontline workers, small businesses, and economy. In Michigan, a state built on hard work and innovation, a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be manufactured by Michigan workers at a Michigan business. I want to thank all of our dedicated Pfizer employees for their hard work. My administration, led by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, is developing a plan to distribute the vaccine, with a focus on our most vulnerable populations. And today, I announced the bipartisan Protect Michigan Commission to help raise awareness of the safety and effectiveness of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, educate the people of this state, and help protect the health and safety of all Michigan residents. One of the most important things every adult should be doing now is planning for how they will get the vaccine when it becomes available to them. I want to remind everyone that we must not let our guard down. It will take time to widely distribute the vaccine, and we must all continue to do our part by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands frequently.”

On Thursday, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 202-193 to create the Protect Michigan Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II; Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley; Chief Medical Executive and DHHS Chief Deputy for Health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun; Detroit Pistons player Blake Griffin; Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health; SER Metro CEO Eva Dewaelsche; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Health Director Soumit Pendharkar; Spectrum Health President & CEO Tina Freese-Decker; and Jamie Brown, Registered Nurse and member of the Michigan Nurses Association. The commission will consist of at least 50 members that will represent the great diversity of our state.