Michigan won't get more vaccines amid COVID surge

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As Michigan sees a worrying surge in COVID-19 cases, the White House said Monday it would be sending more therapeutic treatments to the state, but not vaccines.

Michigan's Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has pleaded with the federal government for more vaccines.

But the White House says that shifting distribution isn't in line with its public health strategy, and that other states could see COVID-19 surges too driven by more contagious variants.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday vaccines aren't the answer to Michigan's problem.

"The answer to that is to really close things down, to go back to our basics, to go back down to where we were last spring, last summer."

Whitmer, a friend of the Biden White House, has faced fierce criticism from conservatives for her COVID-19 restrictions in Michigan, including armed groups storming the state capitol and a foiled plot to kidnap her.

Despite increasing vaccination rates across the country, the Biden administration has urged continued vigilance, warning Americans to keep wearing masks and social distancing.

The U.S. reported an eight percent rise in new COVID-19 cases last week, the fourth week in a row that infections have increased, according to a Reuters analysis.