Letter to Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States - Upton, Dingell Urge Biden Administration to Supply Additional Vaccines to Michigan Amid COVID Surge

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to request an increased COVID-19 vaccine allocation to the State of Michigan to help address the surge in COVID-19 cases impacting the state and its residents. 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. An increase in vaccine allocation to the state will help save lives and effectively deal with this new outbreak.

Since mid-February, COVID-19 case counts have increased significantly in the State of Michigan. Today, Michigan reported 7,819 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.[1] The state has also seen a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the last month, which are now approaching levels last seen during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020.[2] There is now substantial evidence of community transmission throughout Michigan, as well as increase in prevalence of more contagious variants.

These developments are challenging the state's ability to effectively respond to the pandemic and have made Michigan one of the hardest-hit states in the country in recent days. This surge in cases has placed significant strain on Michigan's public health infrastructure. Hospitals have begun cancelling surgeries to accommodate the rapid increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and multiple hospitals throughout the state are either at or nearing capacity as a result the increased COVID-19 spread in recent days.[3]

Increasing the allocation of vaccines to Michigan will help the state effectively deal with the surge in cases. Currently, federal vaccine allocation is population-based and does not account for the rising COVID-19 case count or public health situation that states like Michigan are facing. Surging additional vaccines into Michigan and other hard-hit areas is consistent with guidance from public health experts.[4] Deploying additional COVID-19 vaccine doses in this manner will allow the federal government to make the most effective use of its current vaccine supply and bring us closer to an end of the pandemic.

With this in mind, we are requesting an increased allocation of COVID-19 vaccines to Michigan, which will help the state address the surge in cases and hospitalizations in recent days. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

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