LANSING, Mich. (Great Lakes News) – Michigan’s top ranking Republican lawmaker won’t be taking part in the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference because of the vaccine policy.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he has not received a COVID-19 shot, and added he’s disappointed vaccines will be required to attend next month’s conference.

MORE NEWS: Jan. 6 Protester Jake Lang Came to Dearborn Looking For A Fight; He Found Condemnation

Shirkey said, “It appears the Chamber cowed to political science instead of embracing actual science.”

Last December, Shirkey tested positive for COVID-19, adding he believes he is immune from getting the virus. Studies do show natural immunity lasts at least a few months, but according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), it’s unclear how long that immunity lasts.

In May, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released her “MI Vacc to Normal” plan which tied the reopening of the state to a 70 percent vaccination rate. She abandoned that plan a few weeks later and the entire state reopened in July.

MDHHS officials still recommend that people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 still get vaccinated.