Updates About Public Health

Following approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that all Michigan children 6 months and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

MDHHS reports that more than 500,000 children under the age of 5 are now eligible to receive the vaccine, which can be accessed from a primary care provider, local health department, or federally qualified health center. Not all pharmacies will vaccinate children 3 and up.

As of June 15, there have been more than 427,000 confirmed COVID cases in those 19 years and younger. A total of 44 deaths have been reported in ages 0 to 19.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Wednesday, June 22, that Michigan will receive approximately $14.45 million following a lawsuit by Mallinckrodt ARC, LLC, formerly known as Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The settlement stems from allegations made that between January 2013 and June 2020, Mallinckrodt knowingly underpaid Medicaid rebates for its drug Acthar, violating the Federal False Claims Act and the Michigan Medicaid False Claims Act.

Mallinckrodt will pay Michigan, 49 other states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the federal government a total of $233.7 million, plus interest, over the next seven years. Michigan is expected to receive the first payment of $180,000 by mid-July.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced changes to the mobile vaccination program as it relates to COVID-19.

Over the next few weeks, MDHHS will be making changes to their COVID-19 vaccination efforts in response to reduced vaccinations that have been provided through these mobile sites. The department will instead redirect resources to pharmacy-based vaccination sites, medical providers, health systems, local health departments, and community health clinics.

Community vaccination sites through the mobile clinics have already shifted to supporting long-term care facilities, homebound services, and other at-risk congregate settings through the month of June. At the start of July, all MDHHS mobile vaccination clinics will no longer be used.

To find a vaccine provider, residents can access that information here