The U.S. Defense Department is sending teams to health systems in metro Detroit and Grand Rapids to help overwhelmed staff deal with a surge of COVID, other patients. Michigan now leads the nation in hospitalization and COVID case rates.
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 inBusiness Watch
Poised for ‘Drinksgiving,’ Michigan bars fret COVID will dampen party
Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest money maker of the year for bars, as friends gather before the family events that follow. Bar and restaurant managers say they don’t know what to expect Wednesday as state virus cases spike.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As COVID rises, CDC approves boosters for all adults, Michigan urges masks
Federal health authorities Friday approved boosters to be made available for millions more U.S. adults. While in Lansing, the state health department pleaded for residents to wear masks but stopped short of a mandate.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID testing is critical in Michigan. But how soon is too soon?
Testing too early after you’ve been exposed to COVID, or “panic testing,” will likely offer little more than a false sense of security. With holidays beckoning, this “gray zone” in testing could unwittingly spread infection.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
University of Michigan flu outbreak prompts worries of statewide jump
Flu season ignites in southeast Michigan with more than 500 cases — enough to bring CDC staff on-site to monitor and assist, and resurrecting fears among health officials of a COVID and flu “twindemic” this winter.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Hospitals filling up as Michigan records highest COVID case rate in U.S.
Doctors warn of dangerous days ahead as the state’s hospitals care for more than 3,200 patients with COVID for the first time since early May. That’s a 40-percent jump in two weeks.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Could COVID pills help turn the pandemic tide in Michigan?
The FDA considers the first of two drugs this month. If they live up to their hype, the drugs by Merck and Pfizer could save lives. But some worry that they could be another reason to skip a vaccine.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
'Are you vaccinated?' and other new Thanksgiving traditions in Michigan
Can the virus spread when we share green bean casserole? Is there a COVID test etiquette? What about masks? Infectious-disease experts — and two veterans in calming explosive conversations — weigh in.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Child COVID vaccines are available in Michigan. Now comes the hard part.
More than 800,000 Michigan children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for Pfizer’s COVID vaccine. But a good portion of parents who are otherwise supportive of COVID vaccines are hesitating. Their doctors are ready to talk.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
CDC approves COVID vaccine for kids 5 to 11, shots available immediately
The CDC’s advisory committee voted unanimously Tuesday to allow the Pfizer vaccine to be given to younger children. Michigan already has 278,000 doses ready for kids.