Michigan health department falsely claims COVID vaccines stop transmission

Rochelle Walensky, director of The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced in January that COVID-19 vaccinations do not prevent transmission of the virus nor prevent one from getting it.

During a hearing at the European Parliament this month, Janine Small, president of Pfizer’s International Developed Markets, admitted the drugmaker did not know nor test to verify whether its COVID-19 vaccine prevented transmission before allowing the general public access to the shot.

The public health field has backed away from the transmission claim. Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services has not. Why not? 

The state spent $62.6 million in state and federal taxpayer dollars on COVID-19 vaccine advertising by February 2022 with another $15 million projected to be spent by the end of the first quarter of 2022, according to MLive. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services produced numerous television, social media, and radio ads telling Michigan residents to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the disease.

Although the admission that vaccines do not prevent transmission was made months ago, MDHHS continues to advertise the claims on its site.

The document, Spread Hope Not COVID, on its website states, “Having a COVID-19 vaccine available for children will help reduce the chance of outbreaks in schools, daycares, and camps and in turn, further protect our communities.”

On the state’s Protect Michigan Commission page it says “The commission will work to protect the health and safety of Michigan residents by educating communities about the effectiveness of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine to eradicate the spread of the coronavirus.”

The state had previously provided regular updates on the number of people who tested positive, died or were hospitalized based on vaccination status.

This practice which began March 2021, abruptly ended April 8, 2022. The department noted the information was no longer being compiled at the state level. However, one of the last updates on the COVID-19 data shared with the public showed 58% of COVID-19 deaths in Michigan were among the vaccinated.

MDDHHS did not respond to a request for comment.