Michigan Health Watch

For so many teachers right now, trying to get the COVID-19 vaccine can feel like a distilled version of everything that’s been so stressful and challenging about the last 10 months: Nothing’s working the way it’s supposed to. No one seems to be able to figure out what’s going on. And you’re basically on your own.

The former Obama official had taken a larger role in fighting the coronavirus after Michigan courts struck down Gov. Whitmer’s power to issue executive orders. He will be succeeded by Elizabeth Hertel.

A new, faster-moving variant worries health officials and means more people need to become immune to stop it. But the state’s history on vaccines plus a shortage of doses doesn’t bode well for meeting that goal anytime soon.

The decision, which will be finalized in the next few days, comes as coronavirus cases decline throughout Michigan. State officials say the ban on indoor dining helped drive down rates. Others aren’t so sure.

Michigan officials blame a reporting lag for vaccine undercounts as federal officials warn that states with poor performance will get fewer doses when reserves are released.

Identifying new variants of COVID is a high-tech, genetic search for a “needle in a haystack,” with just two labs doing the work in a state with thousands of new coronavirus samples each day. But while Michigan studies only a small sliver of testing specimens, it’s doing better than other states.

 A week after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced people 65 and older would be eligible for a vaccine, health department websites and other government offices are being flooded by residents trying to get registered.

Restrictions due to expire on Friday may have helped Michigan avoid a surge in coronavirus that swept the nation, but its unemployment rate is higher than most states.

Despite recent reforms that shield patients from unexpected bills they thought were covered by insurance, ground ambulance services can still charge high fees if they are outside a patient’s insurance network. A lawmaker promises to look into the matter.