The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services continues to urge COVID vaccinations for everyone age six months and older as recent information coming from the federal government has caused some confusion.
State Chief Medical Executive Natasha Bagdasarian tells us the state’s guidance really has not changed.
“There’s just a lot of confusion right now,” Bagdasarian said. “So I think it’s best that we just address some of this information head on and let people know that we are still recommending the COVID vaccine for everyone over the age of six months, including pregnant women.”
So, does that include those who are not at high-risk?
“We recommend the vaccine not just for those who are at high risk, but also for those who are at moderate to just normal risk levels, healthy children, healthy young adults, because we have seen that COVID-19 can turn into severe illness that can require hospitalization.”
Recently, the Health and Human Service Director issued guidance to change COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. However, Bagdasarian says the COVID-19 vaccine remains safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect children, women, and their infants after birth.
Bagdasarian says there’s been a lot of misinformation about vaccines, in general, in recent years, but the evidence shows vaccines are safe and have saved millions of lives.
As for the COVID vaccine, Bagdasarian says insurance still covers it and it’s available to any adult seeking it. She says getting it is a way to avoid serious illness.