FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 26, 2021

Contact: [email protected]

 Gov. Whitmer Approves Funding for Oakland and Macomb Counties to Assist with Storm Recovery Efforts

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer today approved $1.2 million in assistance for communities in Oakland and Macomb counties following severe thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes in July. The funds were made available through the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund, which is used when communities demonstrate an exhaustion of local resources during a disaster or emergency.

“We are grateful to all first responders and local agencies throughout Oakland and Macomb counties who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe following multiple severe storms this summer,” said Governor Whitmer. “While these efforts have been successful, they have put a strain on local resources. That’s why I’ve approved additional money from this fund to help cover some of the costs related to response and recovery efforts, so that residents are not left on the hook for these unprecedented storm systems.”

The governor has approved these awards for White Lake Township, the Village of Armada, Armada Township, Farmington, Southfield, and Farmington Hills.

Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund awards can be applied toward the immediate prevention, response and recovery of a disaster or emergency, as well as cover overtime for public employees, contracts used during the response, shelter supplies, gasoline used during the response and repair of public buildings and infrastructure.

 “Our communities were hard hit this summer with intense storms, punishing winds and repeated power outages, so we’re particularly grateful that the Governor was so diligent in getting the federal emergency funding needed to help out White Lake, Farmington and Farmington Hills and Southfield,” said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. “The support will allow these communities and its residents to recover from the devastating impact of these storms without breaking their budgets.”

“The emergency resources coming in from our state and federal partners is a testament to the community response we saw in Armada,” said Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel. “From first responders to neighbor champions, the community continues to showcase its resilient spirit.”

On July 7, an intense line of thunderstorms with high winds struck the southwest area of Oakland County and traveled through southern Macomb County, leading to flooding, power outages, blocked roads, and damage to public and private property and infrastructure. On July 24, a tornado touched down in Armada Township, impacting both the township and Armada Village. On July 25, a severe thunderstorm and tornado caused widespread damage in White Lake Township. Gov. Whitmer declared a state of emergency for the cities of Farmington, Farmington hills and Southfield on August 2, and for White Lake, Armada Township, and the Village of Armada on August 5.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 26, 2021

Contact: [email protected]   

Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Directive Expediting Distribution of Vaccines to Protect Younger Michiganders 

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer today issued an executive directive to state departments and agencies to expedite the ordering and distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric coronavirus vaccinations to protect younger Michiganders between the ages of 5 to 11 years old and ensure that students could continue in-person learning in a safe environment this year.

“Today, we’re taking action to keep our kids safe from COVID-19,” said Governor Whitmer. “The Michigan-made Pfizer vaccine is safe, effective, free, and expected to be approved for Michiganders between 5 and 11 years old. This is a game-changer for our kids that will protect them as they continue to learn in-person in the classroom this school year, participate in extracurricular activities, or see friends and family this holiday season. My directive today ensures equitable, expedited distribution of the vaccines. Parents should sign up to protect their kids.”

On October 26, the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met to discuss emergency use authorization of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for children. After this meeting, the VRBPAC will issue their recommendation to the Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is scheduled to meet Nov. 2-3 to review data and recommendations. ACIP is anticipated to issue a recommendation, which will go to CDC for final approval of the emergency use authorization.

Based on data provided by Pfizer, the vaccine was shown to be nearly 91% effective during the trial at preventing symptomatic disease from COVID-19 in the age group.

“Being able to vaccinate children ages 5-11 with the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine brings us hope and also an opportunity to urge all eligible Michiganders to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “We know these vaccines work. Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and now 825,000 children in our state are now eligible to be protected.”

The executive directive expedites the administration of pediatric vaccinations by:

The directive also requires the State of Michigan to regularly report the proportion of children ages 5 to 11 who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. To date, nearly 69% of Michiganders 16 years or older and 66.9% of Michiganders 12 years or older have received at least their first dose of one of the three safe, effective vaccines.

“Throughout the pandemic we have taken every possible measure to keep Michiganders safe,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Being able to protect our children is a critical and exciting development in our efforts to end this pandemic. It is important that children get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

From January to October, unvaccinated Michiganders accounted for 93.1% of COVID cases, 90.7% of hospitalizations and 90.5% of deaths.

“Vaccinating kids and teens against COVID will protect their health, allow them to re-engage more safely in activities they’ve missed out on this past year, and protect more vulnerable classmates and family members,” said Dr. Matthew Hornik, DO, President of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians (MIAAP). “Pediatricians are the immunization experts, remain at the forefront of care for children, and pediatricians are available to discuss questions and concerns with the families they know and trust.”

The State of Michigan has pre-ordered 287,700 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric coronavirus vaccine to ensure a supply is quickly available when approval is granted.

Under similar executive orders signed by Governor Whitmer, the state of Michigan has prioritized booster doses for residents in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and adult foster care, and has been working to expedite delivery of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to residents who have compromised immune systems.

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.

COVID-19 vaccine locations can be found at Vaccines.gov.

To view the full executive directive, click the link below: