LANSING — Michigan's top doctor on Friday recommended COVID-19 vaccination, saying it should be routine for those at high risk but also available to others who want protection from the disease.
The standing recommendation from Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, came hours before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — a panel of vaccine advisers hand-selected by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic — voted to end the universal recommendation that people of all ages get COVID shots.
Two days earlier, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had directed the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies to ensure broad access to the vaccines.
Bagdasarian's recommendation states that anyone over the age of 6 months who has not received the updated 2025-26 COVID vaccine is considered to have an underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes and is thus eligible to receive a dose.
She cited recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"As the state’s chief medical executive, it is my duty to protect and promote public health, and everyone deserves the opportunity to access COVID-19 vaccine if they desire one," Bagdasarian said in a news release. "This Standing Recommendation will help to protect vaccine accessibility and availability in our state."
When the FDA authorized updated versions of the COVID vaccine in August, it limited who is eligible to get it. Whereas previously the shots were authorized for anyone over 6 months old, now the approval is specifically for people over 65 and anyone younger who has at least one underlying condition that elevates the risk of severe COVID.
The FDA did not define the list of underlying conditions, according to Bagdasarian.
In February, the CDC published an updated list that includes conditions such as obesity and physical inactivity and states it is "not exhaustive" and “should not be used to exclude people with underlying conditions from recommended measures for prevention or treatment of COVID-19."
FDA approval is just one part of the process to roll out an updated vaccine. The shots do not become widely available until they have been recommended by the CDC's ACIP panel.
On Friday, the committee declined to recommend them for anyone, instead urging that people seek medical input — even those at high risk of serious complications from the virus.
The panel narrowly voted against requiring a doctor's prescription for the COVID vaccine. The panel does not have the authority to require prescriptions, an issue several members pointed out as they voted against it. That is done through the FDA.
For Michigan's largest health insurer, the federal policy actions do not impact its current coverage of COVID vaccines.
"For decades, science has proven the efficacy and safety of many vaccines and as such, we have included those vaccinations in our covered benefits," Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said in a statement. "We want to reassure our members and customers that, at this time, there are no adjustments to our coverage for Covid vaccines. Those interested in obtaining the vaccine should speak with their physician to determine appropriateness."
On Thursday, ACIP determined that a combination vaccine for measles and three other viruses should not be given as one shot to children under 4. On Friday, it also delayed a vote to push back newborns' first doses of hepatitis B vaccines, a move experts had warned could have resulted in increased spread of a dangerous disease.
— Bloomberg News contributed.
