Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky insisted on Monday that Michigan cannot vaccinate its way out of the state’s coronavirus spike, adding that authorities must “shut things down” to curb the spread.
“When you have an acute situation, [an] extraordinary number of cases, like we have in Michigan, the answer is not necessarily to give vaccine,” Walensky said during a COVID-19 response briefing. “In fact, we know that the vaccine will have a delayed response. The answer to that is to really close things down, to go back to our basics, to go back to where we were last spring, last summer.”
The health official urged Michigan to “flatten the curve” by decreasing human contact and increasing testing with contact tracing protocols.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky says Michigan cannot vaccinate its way out of a surge: “The answer to that is really to close things down.” pic.twitter.com/VZwq9vqAji
— The Recount (@therecount) April 12, 2021
CDC DIRECTOR: ‘RACISM IS A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT’
The director’s comments follow a 60% surge in positive cases in Michigan, with a 115% uptick in virus-related deaths and a 112% increase in hospitalizations. Roughly 23% of the population is fully vaccinated, while 35% have received at least one dose of the inoculation, according to tracking data from the New York Times.
Residents largely remain subject to a host of coronavirus measures, including mandatory masks, restaurant seating capacity limits, travel advisories, and work restrictions. In early April, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did not signal a willingness to expand the mandates as she was hopeful vaccinations and basic protocols would stem the surge.
“We’re getting more and more vaccines from the Biden administration because of all these things,” the Democratic governor said in an April 2 speech during the opening of a mass immunization site. “At this point, compelling and cajoling and begging and educating the public to wear their masks and continue to take this seriously is really the most important thing we can do to get these numbers down.”
However, a week later, Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health urged schools to suspend in-person activities after faulting the spike on young people. State authorities urged the resumption of remote learning and encouraged educational institutions to halt sports and other after-school programs.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Given the dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases in younger Michiganders, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommends that local health departments and school districts take additional mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the department of health wrote in an announcement.
Whitmer’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic drew sharp criticism from the general public. Tensions came to a boil in May 2020 when armed groups protested in the state Capitol of Lansing and demanded an end to her lockdown protocols.
