STATEMENT: Michigan State Medical Society

EAST LANSING – The following is a public statement from Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the Michigan State Medical Society, in response to the Michigan Senate’s vote on Feb. 25, 2021 to prevent the use of the Social Vulnerability Index in the process the state has been using for the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine to state residents.

“The Michigan State Medical Society opposes recent language added to Senate Bill 114 that would prevent MDHHS from using race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sex, or socioeconomic status as factors in determining the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been well documented that social determinants of health such as those included in the legislation are clearly linked to COVID-19 transmission, illness, and death. Most notably, despite making up only 13 percent of Michigan’s population, Black or African American individuals disproportionately count for nearly 22 percent of Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths.

“MSMS is committed to approaching vaccine distribution through an evidence-based approach that does not exacerbate existing inequities. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the World Health Organization, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have included equitable distribution as a foundational principle in vaccine distribution frameworks. Tools such as the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index identify at risk areas using various factors related to COVID-19 outcomes, including income, housing, race/ethnicity, and age demographics. MSMS supports equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourages the use of tools such as the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and the inclusion of metrics related to social determinants of health in the vaccine’s distribution.