Image of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Hours after federal agencies greenlit COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for immunocompromised people, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) of Michigan ordered state agencies to expedite third doses to long-term care facility residents and others in state congregate care settings.

The directive applies to all eligible residents of “nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities,” adult foster care homes and homes for the aged (assisted living), state correctional facilities, and Michigan state hospitals, Whitmer announced Friday.

“When vaccines first became available, we ensured that 100% of residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities had first dibs at the safe and effective vaccines,” she stated. “Now, it’s important that we continue to prioritize these Michiganders by rushing an additional dose to those who need it the most.”

The order goes beyond the stated intent of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for COVID-19 vaccine boosters, announced Friday. The agency recommended that third shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines be offered to some already-vaccinated immunocompromised individuals. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday extended the vaccines’ emergency use authorization to include extra vaccine doses for this group, which represents only about 3% of the U.S. population. The group does not overlap significantly with the long-term care population.

Evidence that long-term care residents would benefit from a third shot at this time is lacking, geriatricians have told McKnight’s Clinical Daily. Nevertheless, the CDC’s decision to protect the immunocompromised prompted Michigan to move forward with a plan to distribute extra doses to additional groups at high risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes, Whitmer said.

The state will record the newly administered doses using its Michigan Care Improvement Registry, Whitmer’s office reported.

The Biden administration reportedly is working on a national strategy to offer boosters in long-term care facilities in anticipation of further-expanded FDA authorization.