FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2021
Contact: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112

LANSING, Mich. – Based on recommendations from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is asking that all Michigan providers temporarily pause the administration of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine in Michigan.

This temporary recommendation is based on the identification of six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). These adverse reactions appear to be extremely rare, as more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the United States as of April 12, with nearly 200,000 of those doses administered in Michigan.

Vaccine providers across the state have been instructed not to administer this vaccine at this time, while the CDC and FDA review further data and assure that clinicians are identifying and reporting any potential adverse reaction. Clinics that are scheduled to administer Johnson & Johnson vaccine will either reschedule or use a different vaccine.

“More than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S., and these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are following recommendations from FDA and CDC and pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Michigan,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. “As we learn more about this from our federal partners, we will update vaccine providers and Michiganders across the state. We encourage everyone to continue making appointments to be vaccinated with the safe and effective Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at this time. These vaccines are the way we are going to end this pandemic as quickly as possible and move toward a sense of normalcy.”

All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.

CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.

Until that process is complete, CDC and FDA are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events, and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.

People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html.

Safety is the first priority in vaccine authorization or approval. The FDA has authorized the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines after determining the vaccines meet FDA requirements. All of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines were found to be safe and effective in reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalizations and death as caused by the virus. A robust process is in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine authorized or approved for use. More information about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine is available at the CDC Vaccine Benefits website and the CDC Vaccine Safety website.

To find a vaccination location and schedule an appointment, visit the Michigan.gov/Coronavirus website or the CDC COVID Vaccine Finder.

Michigan residents seeking more information about the COVID-19 vaccine can visit Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine. Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

 

Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395
Agency: Education

April 9, 2021

LANSING – State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice is urging Michigan school districts to support Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s call today to have high schools pause in-person learning and postpone youth sports for the next two weeks in response to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

“Our recent COVID case numbers are the highest in the nation, and hospitalizations have climbed significantly in the last month. Michigan educators, students, and families have risen to the challenge over the past year, and I am confident they will continue to do what is needed to help save lives as we keep fighting the pandemic,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice. “I support the recommendations of the governor. I urge schools to contribute the next two weeks toward the common good of our state and the health of our residents.”

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) denied Michigan’s request to waive the federal requirement for state summative assessments. As a result, local school districts will be expected to administer the state tests. These tests include the Michigan Merit Exam (MME), including SAT, for students in 11^th grade.

Last year, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) requested and received federal waivers to required state summative assessments and school accountability requirements associated with those tests. In late January, given the COVID-19 pandemic that has continued to disrupt the education of Michigan’s 1.5 million students, MDE again requested waivers to federal requirements for state summative tests, as well as waivers of associated high-stakes accountability requirements. The accountability waivers were approved on March 26.

“We fought hard to waive state assessments again this year, but the U.S. Department of Education ignored Michigan’s very specific challenges during the pandemic, including our low percentages of students in in-person instruction and our recent COVID-19 cases, the highest in the nation,” Dr. Rice said. “We did receive a waiver for federal school accountability requirements that include the need for 95 percent student participation on the state tests, but not for the tests themselves.”

MDE has informed school districts that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not support requiring otherwise remote or virtual students to be brought into school solely for the purpose of state assessment. Districts will have to offer remote or virtual students the opportunity to come into school to take the appropriate state summative assessments. However, those remote-only students will not be required to come into school for the sole purpose of taking the assessments.

In the presence of the federal government’s denial of Michigan’s request to forego this year’s M-STEP, MME, and MI-ACCESS tests during the pandemic, the effect of local school districts supporting the governor’s call and pausing in-person instruction in high schools for the next two weeks is that state assessments will have to be pushed back to later dates in the testing windows.

Taking into consideration the unpredictability of the pandemic, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) added additional test dates and extended test windows for the state summative assessments, including the MME, to provide as much flexibility as possible during this unprecedented year.

MDE has also worked with the College Board to secure alternate dates for high school juniors to take the national SAT with essay exam. The original date is April 13, with alternate dates of April 27 and May 18. The PSAT 8/9 exam for 9^th graders has an original testing window of April 13-16, with an alternate testing window of April 27-May 7.