LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Most states follow the CDC and FDA playbook when it comes to vaccines: the feds approve the shots, the CDC recommends who should get them, and states distribute the information, and the vaccines, accordingly.
But in Michigan, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian – Whitmer’s handpicked chief medical executive – has decided to go rogue, toss the playbook and dive into politics. While President Trump’s federal officials have scaled back their guidance concerning COVID-19 vaccines to focus on high-risk groups, Bagdasarian has scribbled out her own “standing recommendation” that flings the doors wide open for the shots, inviting practically anyone with an arm to get jabbed.
Politics, not science at play.
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In Bagdasarian’s September 19 press release, she admits that she is making her recommendation in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Directive to state agencies to “ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are available to Michiganders who wish to access them.”
Bagdasarian acknowledged that while the FDA on August 27 approved the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine for seniors 65 and older and for those ages 5–64 with at least one high-risk condition, it did not specify what those “underlying conditions” are.
Redefining conditions and stretching the definition.
Not missing a beat, Bagdasarian declared that being six months old or older and not having gotten the vaccine yet is its own underlying condition.
Bagdasarian refers to the CDC’s updated list of underlying conditions, which includes conditions such as cancer, COPD, diabetes, heart conditions, and even obesity and physical inactivity. However, she says that the list is not “exhaustive.”
Being a physician, Bagdasarian is well aware that underlying conditions typically refer to chronic health issues like the ones outlined above – or weakened immunity. However, classifying not being vaccinated as an underlying condition, is new. It does not appear on the CDC’s list of conditions and represents a different approach that was noted directly in the press release.
Federal law provides the framework for vaccine eligibility and guidelines. While states have flexibility in implementation, redefining not being vaccinated as an underlying condition does not align with the CDC’s established list. Michigan’s “standing recommendation” breaks from the federal playbook, essentially slapping an “eligible” tag on anyone who strolls into Walgreens looking for a COVID-19 jab.
Politics dressed as public health.
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Backed by Whitmer, Michigan’s chief medical executive has rewritten the vaccine playbook to fit yet another executive directive from the governor, broadening access far beyond federal standards. By declaring being unvaccinated as an underlying condition, the state has stretched public health guidance past recognition. This move echoes Whitmer’s earlier reliance on sweeping executive orders during the pandemic, raising concerns that her administration is once again governing by mandate rather than science.
