Dr. Joneigh Khaldun vaccinates the governor at Ford Field. (Photo: State of Michigan)
You've got to give Gretchen Whitmer credit for not pulling rank and getting the Covid vaccine much sooner.
The governor got her first Pfizer shot Tuesday mornming at Ford Field in Detroit.
She was joined by her 19-year-old daughter and seven Metro Detroit teens who also got vaccinated. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive, vaccinated the governor.
"I am excited to join millions of Michiganders in the fight against Covid-19 by getting the first dose of the safe, effective vaccine, and I am proud to help my daughter get her vaccine too,” Whitmer says in a statement. “I encourage parents to help their 16- and 17-year-old teens register for the vaccine and accompany them to their appointment, so that they can look forward to a safe, normal summer."
Michigan residents 16 and older are eligible for the free vaccine.
“I am honored to provide Governor Whitmer with her vaccine along with these young Michiganders who will be helping encourage their friends, classmates and other peers to get vaccinated against the virus,” said Dr. Khaldun. “Today I am especially asking Millennials, Generation Z age 16 and up and their parents: please get on your phone or your computer and schedule your appointment today.”
How to get a Ford Field appointment. (Graphic: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)
Michigan has administered 4.7 million vaccine doses to nearly 3 million people -- 36.7 percent of those eligible. The goal is to vaccinate at least 70 percent of Michiganders ages 16 and older as quickly as possible.
“People under age 24 are developing COVID-19 in increasing numbers both in Michigan and nationally,” Kerry Ebersole Singh, director of the Protect Michigan Commission, said in a statement. “The more the virus gets transmitted, it prolongs our battle against the disease and our return to normalcy."
Teens 16 and 17 can get only the Pfizer shot. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available to those 18 or older. Minors under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to accompany them to their appointment to provide consent.
