Michigan To Open Vaccines To All Adults Over 16 Starting April 5

Michigan is expanding vaccine eligibility to all Michiganders ages 16 and older starting April 5, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced Friday. Additionally, residents ages 16 and older with disabilities or medical conditions that put them at high risk of negative COVID-19 outcomes are eligible to receive the vaccine starting March 22.

Individuals who have diseases that put them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19 will be eligible for vaccination and include: cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); Down syndrome; heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant; obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2 ); severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 ); pregnancy; sickle cell disease; smoking; and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

The following medical conditions could also put an individual at increased risk and are therefore also eligible for vaccination: asthma (moderate-to-severe); cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain); cystic fibrosis; hypertension or high blood pressure; immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant; immune deficiencies; HIV; use of corticosteroids or use of other immune weakening medicines; neurologic conditions, such as dementia; liver disease; overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2 , but < 30 kg/m2 ); pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues); thalassemia (a type of blood disorder); and Type 1 diabetes mellitus. 

With the expanded vaccine eligibility, providers are still encouraged to schedule appointments and allocate vaccinations to residents based on highest risk, including older residents, essential workers, and frontline workers. All vaccine providers may begin vaccinating the new priority group of 16-49 with medical conditions or disabilities by March 22. MDHHS is accelerating vaccination of these individuals due to concern around disparity in life expectancy and in an effort to remove barriers to vaccine access.

Based on the anticipated amount of vaccines becoming available to the state and President Biden’s directive that all adults should be eligible by May 1, Michigan leaders decided to move forward with allowing all Michiganders who were not previously eligible to begin receiving vaccine on April 5. As providers are scheduling appointments, they should consider an individual’s risk of exposure due to their employment and their vulnerability to severe disease in determining how to schedule appointments. It is anticipated that it may still take several weeks beyond April 5 for everyone who wishes to receive a vaccine to have an appointment, according to a state release.

“Over 2.7 million doses of the safe and effective COVID vaccines have been administered in Michigan, and we are well on our way to vaccinating 70 percent of Michiganders age 16 and up,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. “We are pleased to lay out our plan for when every Michigander age 16 and up will be able to get a vaccine. We will continue to focus our efforts on removing barriers to access for our most vulnerable to exposure and those at highest risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. These vaccines are the way we are going to end this pandemic, and I urge Michiganders to make a plan to get your vaccine when you are eligible.”