Health officials in Ingham, Washtenaw and northern Michigan counties are dropping mandates within days.
Robin Erb
Robin Erb covers a range of health issues in Michigan, including the industry of aging and the issues facing older residents in Michigan, a state that is aging faster than most others. She joined Bridge in 2019 and has led investigations that tracked millions of dollars in opioid settlement money and explored severe worker shortages in health care that threaten lives and the state's economy. She chronicled the shock and grief of Michigan families in COVID’s wake, as well as state policy decisions and the triumphs of medical breakthroughs. Robin previously spent six years covering health at the Detroit Free Press, documenting the battle over, and the eventual passage of, the Affordable Care Act and Michigan's Medicaid expansion. She studied communications and political science at Miami University and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lourdes University (Toledo, Ohio). She and her husband raised two wonderful children — but have failed miserably at training their Beagle-Bassets — in southeast Michigan. Reach her at rerb@bridgemi.com.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
How to get free N95, KN95 masks and COVID tests in Michigan
The number of new COVID cases is falling in the state, but with the omicron-fueled pandemic still high, health officials say masking and testing remains critical. Here’s where you can get them for free.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Next up: COVID vaccines for Michigan children under age 5
Pfizer is seeking FDA approval of a COVID vaccine aimed at protecting infants and young children against the coronavirus.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Beaumont-Spectrum merger: history says higher costs, not better care
Michigan’s two health care giants have partnered, and that could mean big savings for the new system. The question is whether savings will be passed to the consumer. Recent studies give reason to be skeptical.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
U-M study: Ivermectin doesn’t treat COVID, but insurers pay for it anyway
Studies have since dashed the initial promise of the anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID-19, but a U-M-led study finds ivermectin is still being prescribed, and is still being covered, in part, with taxpayers dollars.
Posted inTalent & Education
How many COVID cases are in Michigan schools? State has no idea anymore
The state’s school outbreak report data is even less reliable than in the past, as omicron overwhelms the reporting system and schools end contact tracing.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan schools running short on COVID tests, imperiling in-class learning
One health official called it a “COVID test supply crisis,” with the state “triaging” test kits and some schools saying they may run out of needed tests next week if new supplies don’t arrive soon.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Mailbox-bound: Free COVID tests now available for Michigan homes
A federal ordering website, due to open for business Wednesday, opened Tuesday, a day earlier than expected.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Omicron requires a better mask. How to choose one that’s best for you.
Two years after a global scramble to manufacture masks, options abound — some legit and some not. We know that N95-type masks are best and cloth masks are worst. Here’s how to choose.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Report: More than 8,000 COVID deaths in Michigan were in long-term care
The report from the Michigan Auditor General places the death toll in long-term care higher than the state’s official count, but notes that some of those may be at facilities not required to report.