The most recent COVID-19 booster shot officially arrived in Michigan last week, amid an uptick in the state's COVID-19 cases.
But few people have been rushing to get the shots. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in its most recent data that about 18% of eligible residents are up-to-date on their COVID-19 shots.
The updated booster will transition the COVID-19 vaccine to an annual shot tailored to a specific variant or variants, said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
"We're no longer asking (people) to complete a primary series with the old vaccines," she said. "We're really concerned with folks getting the vaccine that's matched with the circulating variant right now, which is the 2023-2024 vaccine."
It's important people get vaccinated now as the state enters flu and RSV season and cases increase, Bagdasarian added.
"Now that we have one more virus in the mix, the overall burden to hospitals — to all health care facilities, in fact — will be much greater," she said.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people ages 6 months and older receive the updated shot to avoid severe disease.
