Grand Rapids Reporter

Because the state of Michigan has now administered over 2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to residents, it is worth reviewing how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s statements regarding when the state will return to normalcy have changed over time, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

“What we’re trying to do is get people to do the right thing for the right reasons,” Whitmer said at a July 9 press conference. “And the right reasons are -- a mask is, without a vaccine, without a cure, a mask is the safest way to protect yourself from the spread of COVID-19, to protect your family from the spread of COVID-19, to protect your neighbors and coworkers, and to protect our economy from another potential step backwards.”

“Until there is a coronavirus vaccine, we must do everything we can in our power to protect one another," Whitmer said at a Aug. 25 press conference. "Nobody is immune to this virus.”

“Until there is a vaccine that is widely available and has efficacy and is safe, or until we have better therapeutics, we are going to have to continue to mask up," Whitmer said at an Oct. 6 press conference.

Now that there is a safe and effective vaccine available, the message of when the state will return to normalcy seems to have changed. On Feb. 19, Whitmer retweeted a meme from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) that reads: “Until we all are vaccinated, we all need to wear a mask.”

It is currently unknown if the governor has decided to change her policy. To add further confusion to the message, MDHHS officials state that there are no plans to make the vaccine mandatory, and there will certainly be individuals who decide not to receive a vaccine, putting into question exactly what she means by "until we are all vaccinated."

There are also potentially millions of Michigan residents who don't (yet) need the vaccine. There have been 607,437 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, according to Michigan.gov. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that for every person who receives a positive COVID-19 test, there are approximately 4.6 individuals who have contracted the virus but had few or no symptoms and were not tested. Research from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates this provides immunity that lasts at least six to nine months.