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"I'm done. That's it"; Michigan's governor, Metro Detroit teens get first vaccine

By Veronica Meadows and Jack Nissen
Published  April 6, 2021 9:59am EDT
Coronavirus Vaccine
FOX 2 Detroit

Gov. Whitmer gets COVID vaccine with Oakland University students

As Michigan's COVID-19 cases continue to climb, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is one of millions to be vaccinated when she joined a group of Metro Detroit teens at Ford Field who will help lead peers through the process.

DETROIT - "I'm done. That's it."

Michigan's governor, seated at Ford Field had just joined the ever-growing club of citizens that have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was joined by several student ambassadors who got their first COVID-19 vaccine as well Tuesday morning. Today's appointments will give each patient protection against the coronavirus.

But it's also meant to showcase that anyone who can get the virus should feel safe getting it - be it the state's top public official or its youth.

Caleb Knuth will be there. He's a 16-year-old sophomore at the University of Detroit Jesuit. He's also an athlete who wants to go to college in Atlanta. Before he felt comfortable getting the vaccine, he admits he was nervous.

"I didn't want to be a guinea pig," he said. "I wasn't on board at first."

A lot of people are hesitant about getting the vaccine. Many others might have trouble getting access to the shot.

The event and location where Knuth, Whitmer, and six other Metro Detroit teens will be when they get their shot is a testament to the safety of the shot and its accessibility. 

RELATED: U-D Jesuit teen and vaccine ambassador shares what convinced him to take the shot

"It is important as a whole because if everybody gets it, if we are safe and vaccinated, we will be able to can keep moving forward and not moving back at the rate we are," said Knuth.

Monday was the day vaccines became available to every adult in the state and teens 16 years and older. So far, about 37% of the state has been covered by at least one dose, while more than a fifth have been fully vaccinated. 

On Tuesday, Whitmer dedicated early remarks to encouraging young people to get the shot. Michigan's latest outbreak - now measured as the worst in the country - has partly been tied to infections among high school students that brought the virus home to their families. 

RELATED: Every adult in Michigan can now get a COVID-19 vaccine - here's how to get yours

While the state first prioritized its health care workers and then its most vulnerable, health experts also say vaccinating those more likely to get infected would go a long way to stemming further spread.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive, will administer the shots herself.

Whitmer and her daughter get their vaccine jab at Ford Field

Michigan's governor was joined alongside her daughter and seven other vaccine student ambassadors for their first dose of the Pfizer treatment Tuesday.