The Detroit-based hospital system made the numbers public after a deadline passed for staff to get vaccinated. A dozen Michigan health systems were surveyed on staff vaccine rates, offering varying levels of transparency.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Science says school masks work. Public opinion is another issue in Michigan
Gretchen Whitmer is hardly alone among governors in resisting calls for statewide mandate. That’s partly because Michigan’s case rates are relatively low, but also because of deeply divided opinions on the issue.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Whitmer administration’s top COVID doc says she steps away with no regrets
The most memorable moment in state government for Dr. Joneigh Khaldun? A loading dock in Ann Arbor.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Getting COVID tested in Michigan was supposed to be easier by now. It isn’t.
A surge in new cases means more demand for testing. But a shortage of home tests and health workers means a scramble for consumers who seek rapid tests to return to work or school, or simply find reassurance.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan top doc Khaldun leaves state COVID role for private sector
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, among the most visible faces of Michigan’s COVID-19 response, will leave the job next Thursday. Her departure comes as health officials across the state seek greater protection against threats from the public.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Pfizer COVID vaccine booster approved for Michiganders. Now what?
Mass vaccination clinics long ago folded up, and hospitals are short-staffed now. Getting a booster is for now likely easier at a local pharmacy or doctor’s office. We break down who is eligible for a Pfizer booster.
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Sides drawn on plan to privatize Michigan mental-health system
Some argue the state should shift responsibility of managing care and costs to Michigan’s for-profit insurers; others say money motives of insurance companies would cut into care for the most vulnerable.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Another respiratory virus, RSV, is surging in Michigan children
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually peaks in a winter, but is hospitalizing very young children this summer. Some theorize that the restrictions that protected kids from COVID may limit their immune response to other viruses.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Pfizer: COVID vaccine gives ‘robust’ protection for children ages 5 to 11
Children aren’t usually the sickest COVID victims, though cases of child hospitalizations climbed this summer amid the delta variant. The positive clinical trial results provide hope to parents eager to get younger children vaccinated during the school year.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
FDA panel backs Pfizer COVID booster for people 65+ and with weak immunity
The Biden administration had pushed for boosters this fall for the general population, but an FDA scientific panel pushed back. Final approval is expected next week.