Whitmer announces contact winter sports to resume on Monday
February 4th, 20210 LANSING — With lawsuits ongoing and Republicans rejecting numerous appointments made by Governor Whitmer, contact winter sports have been approved to resume on Monday. Effective Feb. 8, contact sports can resume provided masks are worn during practices and competition. If masks cannot be worn, participants must be regularly...
Detroit to begin vaccinating food service workers, janitors and security guards
February 2nd, 20210 DETROIT — Mayor Mike Duggan is expanding vaccination eligibility to food service employees, grocery store workers, janitors and security guards who live or work in the city. Regardless of age, any employee of these industries can call to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the TCF Center. “Food service...
Over 1 million vaccines administered in Michigan
February 1st, 20210 MICHIGAN — The state of Michigan has now administered just over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines, though many eligible people are still waiting on their first shots, officials announced on Monday. The number makes the state seventh in the nation for vaccine distribution. Governor Whitmer announced Monday that she is again calling on...
U of M doctor brings cystic fibrosis awareness to Egypt
January 31st, 20210 ANN ARBOR — Doctors in Egypt weren’t aware of the prevalence of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in their country until the efforts of a University of Michigan professor brought the disease to light. CF is genetic disease that causes chronic and fatal lung infections and interferes with digestion. Doctors have been testing newborns for CF...
Wayne County has received fewer doses than less-populated counties
January 31st, 20210 WAYNE COUNTY — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans met with state officials and Governor Whitmer’s staff to discuss a problem with equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Wayne County, one of the epicenters of the virus in the state, has been receiving fewer doses of the vaccines than less populous counties. County officials...
Local educator and herbalist promotes healthier choices in the community
January 30th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A Dearborn Heights health and nutrition educator and herbalist is promoting healthy living through education, and offering a popular herbal health product line. Glenda Saad is a science educator who has conducted intensive research in the natural properties of herbs and other natural ingredients towards disease...
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is 66 percent effective globally
January 29th, 20210 Johnson & Johnson said its single-dose vaccine was 72 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in the U.S., but a lower rate of 66 percent was observed globally in the large trial conducted across three continents and against multiple variants. In the trial of nearly 44,000 volunteers, the level of protection against moderate and...
Dingell, Tlaib lead 71 members of Congress to ban water shutoffs
January 29th, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) reintroduced the Emergency Water is a Human Right Act. The act would prohibit water shutoffs and ensure water affordability protections for low-income households during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
COVID-19: Vaccine efficacy and supply, new symptoms and reopening schools
January 28th, 20210 COMMUNITY — With cases of the mutated COVID-19 variant accelerating throughout the country, studies have shown that the Pfizer vaccine is effective. Nearly 20 cases of the mutated variant have been found in Michigan alone, but a laboratory study by Pfizer shows that the new variants of COVID-19 had only a small impact on the...
Dearborn fire chief appointed to state commission aimed at raising awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine
January 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — Fire Chief Joseph Murray has been appointed to a state commission aimed at educating the public about the COVID-19 vaccine. The goal of the commission is to make the public aware of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. The Protect Michigan Commission was created with the purpose of increasing awareness, educating...
State monitoring COVID-19 variant, restaurants to reopen on schedule
January 21st, 20210 LANSING — State health authorities are now on high alert after a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in three Washtenaw County women. The two adult women were in close contact with the first woman to be found positive for the variant, as announced on Jan. 16. The first woman had recently traveled to the U.K. All...
Biden issues mask, quarantine order for travelers coming to the U.S.
January 21st, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — In an executive order issued by President Biden, masks and quarantines will be required for travelers coming to the United States. In the order, Biden is requiring masks be worn in airports, on airplanes, buses and other forms of transportation and people who arrive into the U.S. from other countries are required...
Beaumont opening two new vaccine clinics; expanding COVID-19 call center
January 20th, 20210 DEARBORN — Starting Jan. 20, Beaumont Dearborn and Beaumont Troy will open additional COVID-19 vaccine clinics at their facilities. Beaumont has already administered approximately 32,000 vaccines and is prepared to administer as many as 50,000 per week if it receive enough vaccines from the state. “We have the expertise and...
21 shipments of the COVID vaccine compromised due to temperature issues
January 19th, 20210 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that 21 shipments of the Moderna vaccine were compromised in transit to the state. The shipments were being transported by McKesson Corp., a healthcare distribution company contracted with the federal government to handle coronavirus vaccine, and...COVID-19 variant found in Michigan
January 16th, 20210 LANSING — The first case of new a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7. has been identified in a woman living in Washtenaw County by the state health authority on Saturday. The woman recently traveled to the U.K., where this variant originated, according to the MDHHS. Close contacts of this individual have been identified......
Dearborn Council members continue their COVID-19 forum to discuss small businesses
January 16th, 20210 DEARBORN — Hosted by City Council President Susan Dabaja, the bi-weekly COVID-19 forum discussed the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses. She was joined by City Councilman David Bazzy, Wayne County Economic Development Director Khalil Rahal and Dearborn Economic Development Director Jeff Watson. Watson said that the pandemic...
Local school leaders address Whitmer’s encouragement to reopen schools
January 14th, 20210 DEARBORN/DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With Governor Whitmer recently encouraging schools to reopen by March 1, local school leaders are revamping their plans to present to school boards. Dearborn Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko said that he is hoping there will be a study session next week to revisit the original timeline from when the board......
Whitmer announces possible reopening plan for restaurants by Feb. 1
January 13th, 20210 LANSING — During a COVID-19 press conference, Governor Whitmer confirmed the hopes to have indoor dining reopened by Feb. 1. “Michigan has been a national leader in fighting COVID-19,” she said. “We have developed a strategy to accelerate vaccinations in the state of Michigan.” Whitmer said that Michigan had to be a...
Feds release millions of vaccine doses to Michigan, other states
January 12th, 20210 LANSING - Millions of previously held-up doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine have been released to Michigan and other states. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they will grant a request from Governor Whitmer and eight other governors and release the millions of doses of the safe,...
Wayne County seniors can get COVID vaccines at area hospitals
January 11th, 20210 WAYNE COUNTY - Wayne County residents aged 65 and older can now get COVID-19 vaccines at local hospitals, county officials said on Monday. The plan is part of an overall move by the state to accelerate vaccine distribution beyond health care workers by adding people over 65 and some essential workers like teachers, as more of the...
50 percent of vaccines held back by Trump administration for unknown reason
January 7th, 20210 LANSING — Governor Whitmer has joined several other state governors to call on the federal government to release millions of COVID-19 vaccines held back by the Trump administration for unknown reasons. Whitmer joined Gavin Newsom (CA), Laura Kelly (KS), J.B. Pritzker (IL), Tim Walz (MN), Andrew Cuomo (NY), Tony Evers (WI) and Jay......
Michigan to begin vaccinating people over age 65, preK-12 teachers, essential workers
January 6th, 20210 LANSING — Governor Whitmer and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) officials announced that the state is moving to a new phase of vaccination on Monday, Jan. 11. The MDHHS is moving forward with vaccination of Michiganders age 65 and older and some frontline essential workers, including preK-12 teachers and...
CDC updates report on new COVID strain
January 5th, 20210 WASHINGTON DC — The mutated strain of COVID-19 that was previously only in the United Kingdom has now been found in four states throughout the U.S. With the new strain, health experts say that the rapid spread of the virus could threaten the healthcare system as this strain is reportedly more contagious. The new strain has......
4,700 frontliners to get second COVID vaccine dose at Henry Ford
January 5th, 20210 DETROIT — Priority vaccinations for healthcare workers continue this week, with thousands of frontline healthcare workers at Henry Ford Health System branches receiving their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days. Henry Ford prioritizes vaccinations based on employees' role and risk for exposure as well as their...
State distributes 3.5 million free masks, cases surpass 500,000
January 4th, 20210 MICHIGAN — As the state surpassed 500,000 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, Michigan’s health department is distributing 3.5 million free masks as part of its Mask Up, Mask Right campaign. Free KN95 masks provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will be distributed by community organizations,......
