A bipartisan pair of lawmakers representing Michigan wrote to President Biden on Thursday urging him to increase the vaccine allocation for the state amid a surge in cases.
“The number of new coronavirus cases in Michigan has risen rapidly in recent weeks, which has placed growing stress on the state’s public health infrastructure,” wrote Reps. Fred Upton (R) and Debbie Dingell (D). “An increase in vaccine allocation to the state will help save lives and effectively deal with this new outbreak.”
The Biden administration, though, has not changed its formula for sending vaccines to Michigan.
Asked about the possibility at a briefing Wednesday, officials did not fully rule out the idea, but pointed to other moves like increasing testing in youth sports, which has helped drive outbreaks, and sending more staff to the state.
“I want to leave you with the impression that there is not one tool, there are a menu of things — including staff, personnel, therapeutics, locations, and other kinds of things — that we review with states in this kind of situation,” White House senior adviser for the COVID-19 response Andy Slavitt said when asked about sending more vaccines to Michigan.
