Gov. requests permission to purchase vaccine directly from the manufacturers

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services for permission to directly purchase up to 100,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine, arguing that the federal government has been slow in rolling out the vaccine to states.

Whitmer announced Monday that she had sent the request to HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

“We remain ready to accelerate distribution to get doses into arms,” Whitmer said in a statement released Monday. “Toward that end, I am writing to request permission for the State of Michigan to make a one-time purchase of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine directly from Pfizer to be distributed and administered consistent with CDC guidelines and the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine.”

Whitmer’s request comes against the politically charged backdrop of a controversial president who will be leaving office in little more than a week and who has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no indication Monday as to when, or if, the federal government will respond to Whitmer’s request.

Michigan, meanwhile, released updated numbers Monday of cases and deaths for the previous two days.

The state reported 4,536 new confirmed cases of the virus and 47 deaths, for a two-day average of 2,268 confirmed cases. In total, Michigan has had 523,618 confirmed cases since counting began last March and 13,401 deaths.