Nessel Contradicts CDC, Says More People Vaxxed Here Would Have Stopped Variants

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said this week she supports President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate order, and that she doesn't think the new COVID-19 variants being blamed for current spikes in infection rates would be happening in the U.S. if more people had been vaccinated.

“I don't think we'd have Delta or we'd have Omicron if more people had just gotten vaccinated when they had the opportunity to do so, at least here in the United States where it was readily available,” Nessel said, according to Dec. 20 Bridge Michigan article.

Nessel didn’t explain how vaccinating more Americans could have had an impact on variants that appear to have developed and were discovered first in other countries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron variant was first reported in November 2021 in Botswana and South Africa. The Delta variant was first identified in India.

CDC reports both the Delta and Omicron variants can spread much more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain.

The agency stated, “CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.”

Also from CDC, “Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others.”