FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 10, 2021
CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112
LANSING, Mich. – Following CDC approval, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is urging all eligible Michiganders 16 and up to get the Pfizer booster vaccine if they have received their two primary COVID-19 vaccines. Currently, Pfizer is the only authorized vaccine for under age 18.
“Vaccines are the way out of the pandemic, and now we can continue to protect ourselves further from COVID-19, which continues to surge in our state,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “Keeping our children safe includes getting them vaccinated and boosted, and this in turn will help alleviate burdens on our health care system to help avoid our children needing emergent care. We urge all Michiganders ages 5 and up to get vaccinated, and Michiganders age 16 and up receive their booster as soon as they’re eligible after their primary doses.”
The COVID-19 Pfizer booster dose may be given with other vaccines, including the flu vaccine, at the same time.
Michiganders should bring their COVID-19 vaccine card or immunization record with them when getting their booster dose, which are available at any vaccine provider. Downloadable immunization records are accessible free of charge at the Michigan Immunization Portal. Visit Michigan.gov/MiImmsportal and upload a valid government issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, state ID or passport. If you do not have records in the portal, contact your health care provider or local health department.
As previously recommended, Michiganders with moderately to severely compromised immune systems should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This additional dose is intended to improve the response of people who are immunocompromised to their initial vaccine series.
To date more than 6.1 million Michiganders aged 5 and up have gotten at least their first dose of one of the three safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines. In the last 30 days of complete data (Oct 21 – Nov 19), 97,310 (71%) of 137,472 cases, 1,134 (72%) of 1,584 hospitalized cases, and 588 (76%) of 772 deaths were among individuals not fully vaccinated. Many Michiganders are still in need of the extra protection provided by booster doses, including residents of long-term care facilities where outbreaks can spread quickly and extra protection is strongly recommended.
To schedule a primary or booster dose of the COVID vaccine, visit vaccines.gov.
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine.
For more information about COVID-19 in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/coronavirus.
