MDHHS says Michiganders 16 and up, pregnant women can get COVID-19 vaccine

(FOX 2) - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services now says teens ages 16 and 17 will be included in the state's efforts to vaccinate 70% of Michigan adults by the end of 2021.

Michigan health officials set the goal of vaccinating that percentage of the population - which is about 5.4 million people - but originally only said adults 18 and up were able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

MDHHS says teens ages 16 and 17 to be included in vaccination efforts in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services now says Michiganders 16 and older, as well as women who are pregnant, are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccinations have begun being administered across the state after the FDA approved Pfizer's vaccine late last week. On Thursday, an FDA advisory panel will be meeting to discuss the Moderna vaccine, which is also expected to be approved soon.

The MDHHS is also now recommending women who are pregnant also get vaccinated with, of course, a conversation with your doctor about it.

The changes follow new guidelines by the Center for Diseases Control and could shift again as new information does become available about the vaccine.

“While there is not currently data on the safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that pregnant women may be offered the vaccine within the priority groups upon consultation with their medical provider,” the MDHHS press release said.

The goal of the vaccine is to get it to those who are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 first. You can see Michigan's prioritization plan here, which includes frontline healthcare workers in the first priority group.

The vaccine isn't expected to be available to the general public in Michigan until late spring 2021.

"For this vaccine to work, most of us have to get it. And that's the key. It's not only just myself, it's my family, my friends, my whole community needs to get it. And the data looks like this vaccine is not only incredibly effective, but it's very safe," said Dr. Ken Berkovitz, the CEO of Ascension Michigan.

The MDHHS also launched a new dashboard to get vaccine information out to the general public. As of Dec. 15, the dashboard says 244 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state.

You can take a look at the dashboard and get more information at www.michigan.gov/covidvaccine.