Gretchen Whitmer's new executive order targets boosting access to COVID-19 vaccine

(FOX 2) - The Michigan governor is pushing to boost access to COVID-19 vaccines with a new executive directive aimed at removing barriers to the shot.

Gretchen Whitmer's order instructs state agencies to make getting inoculated from Covid easier as the flu season picks up at the end of summer.

The directive comes amid a flurry of developments regarding the vaccine, which has been in the crosshairs of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, after he dismissed a key advisory panel under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal guidelines have also narrowed access to the shot.

Big picture view:

The executive order directs the health department, the financial services department, the licensing department to work together to boost access to the seasonal COVID-19 vaccine. 

The order calls for issuing "clear, accessible guidance to providers, pharmacists, and the public regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for all appropriate populations."

The agencies are also ordered to give guidance for providers to encourage prescribing the COVID-19 vaccine when appropriate. 

Finally, the order calls for Medicaid and other health insurance plans regulated by MDHHS and DIFS to cover Covid shots.

What they're saying:

Dr. Matthew Sims is the medical director of research at Corewell Health, SE Michigan, agrees with the move.

"Overall I'm pleased with it," Sims said. "The goal with it is that people who need vaccines should be able to get vaccines. Vaccines are probably the single greatest medical innovation of all time. They have saved more lives they have eliminated more disease than probably anything else we have ever created."

Whitmer said that everyone has a role to play in keeping communities safe and healthy.

"Today’s executive directive ensures Michiganders can get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to medical experts, vaccines remain the most effective way to stay healthy. I’m committed to providing Michiganders with the best options for their families," Whitmer said. "Let’s keep working together to protect our families and ourselves."

The state's chief medical executive said the order connects residents to "trusted resources from medical experts."

"We encourage Michiganders to speak with their healthcare providers as they prepare for this season," she said. "Let’s do our part to stay healthy and keep Michigan strong."

Sims spoke of removing barriers for those who need access the most.

"If you put barriers in the way of getting vaccines it makes it harder to get herd immunity," he said. "If you remove those barriers it makes it easier to get herd immunity."