A small group of protesters was present for President Joe Biden’s visit to Michigan. He and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer toured one of the three Pfizer facilities producing the COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 19, 2021. Notably, this is Biden’s first trip to Michigan since his inauguration.
His tour, originally scheduled for the 18th, had been delayed due to weather conditions in Washington D.C. Once the weather advisories lifted, Air Force One departed for the Kalamazoo Battle Creek Airport. The plane safely landed just before 2 p.m. EST.
The plant is located in Portage, a suburb of Kalamazoo. Biden, the state’s governor, and state representatives were given a non-public tour by Pfizer officials, states Portage Mayor Patricia Randall while speaking to a WXMI reporter.
She praised Pfizer’s ability to cut the manufacturing processing time and expressed pride about the staff who is working 24/7 to get the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of Americans. Randall also mentioned the need for logistics assistance.
The Portage site is the largest of Pfizer’s facilities handling the vaccine’s final stages of its production. Situated on a 1,300-acre campus, the plant fills the vials, finalizes inspections, and prepares the COVID-19 vaccines for shipment.
Pfizer’s also manufactures in its Chesterfield, Missouri, and Andover, Massachusetts facilities.
Approximately 10 protesters assembled outside the Pfizer plant amid the 20° weather. To make their presence known, they rang cowbells, played music, and held signs, according to Lindsey Moore reporting for MLIVE. Based on the video, it appears the group is questioning the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
Those gathered previously met at other rallies during the past months, including lockdown and “stop the steal.” Although, as they explained, the group has dwindled in size since the insurrection on January 6.
John Clore drove down from Lansing, donning his COVID Man superhero uniform made of a plastic-wrapped laundry hamper, hazmat suit and the former Soviet Union’s flag as a cape.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
CNN: Biden tours Pfizer vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan
Detriot Free Press: President Biden set to tour Pfizer vaccine facility in Portage on Friday: What we know; by David Poucher
MLIVE: Protesters ring bells, dress in costume in attempt to draw President Biden’s attention outside Pfizer; by Lindsey Moore
WWMT3: Biden’s weather-delayed visit to Michigan turns colder than recent trips to the Mitten; by Meteorologist Will Haenni
Featured and Top Image by Dusan Ilic, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Courtesy of GPA Photo Archive’s Flickr Page – Public Domain License
