Three months into the vaccine rollout, appointments are going unfilled and clinics are being canceled due to lack of interest, even as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer begs Washington for more doses.
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.
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Whitmer pleads for more COVID compliance. So far, Michigan isn’t listening
Even as the Centers for Disease Control urges Michigan to close down part of its economy to stop a dangerous COVID spike, residents seem done with restrictions.
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Workers weary, patients angry, as COVID fills Michigan hospitals — again
Health care workers say the fear of an unknown virus and the frantic scramble for equipment of last spring are both gone. But gone, too, are heaps of support. In some instances, staff camaraderie forged in last year’s chaos has started to fracture.
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University of Michigan postpones surgical procedures because of COVID-19 surge
Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor-based health system, announced Thursday it is postponing some surgical procedures because of the crush of COVID-19 patients filling its emergency rooms and hospital beds.
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Pressure mounts on Gretchen Whitmer to tighten Michigan COVID limits
The CDC director pushed Wednesday for “stronger mitigation strategies” in Michigan, including shutting down contact sports, as the state’s positive test rates and hospitalizations continue to surge. The governor is resisting another clamp down.
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Michigan COVID hospitalizations again on the rise, but patients are younger
Vaccines have protected Michigan’s oldest residents in this latest surge that’s fueled, at last in part, by more contagious variants. Though hospital beds are filling, younger patients are more likely to survive the virus.
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Michigan school COVID outbreaks surge 47% in 2 weeks; some return to remote
State officials say they have no plans to order school buildings to close again because of the pandemic. But with COVID cases skyrocketing, some schools are going remote on their own.
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Michigan gears up for the next COVID-19 fight: vaccine passports
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has sidestepped questions on whether the state would back vaccination mandates. Republican lawmakers see it as the next front in the cultural wars, while commerce groups want to leave such decisions to individual businesses.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
246 infected, 3 dead from COVID-19 in Michigan despite being vaccinated
These “breakthrough” cases, though rare out of 1.8 million completed vaccinations, are a reminder to continue taking safety precautions even after being vaccinated. Eleven vaccinated people have been hospitalized, according to the state.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID vaccine for kids edges closer to reality, as cases surge in Michigan
COVID cases among Michigan’s youngest residents have more than quadrupled in just over a month. A vaccine can’t arrive quick enough, health experts say.