Michigan Health Watch

After months of being separated from her husband during the COVID lockdown, Melanie Zeiger was thrilled to move Jerry into adult foster care, where she could hold his hand. Then COVID returned to the state’s long-term care centers, isolating them once more.

The public health system is so overwhelmed, health departments are advising residents not to expect a call from contact tracers if they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, federal money may soon run out.

A worst-case scenario calls for 1,000 weekly Michigan deaths from coronavirus by year’s end if we don’t change our ways. But getting compliance from those opposed to government pandemic orders is proving a hard sell.

The sadness and stress of handling so many COVID patients is getting to the state’s frontline health care workers, many of whom already struggled to cope in a job with long hours, little gratitude and daily tragedy.

Michigan now ranks sixth nationally in coronavirus cases and fifth for the number of COVID-19 related deaths, state health officials say.

Beaumont Health paid its chief executive a $2.6 million bonus weeks before the state’s largest hospital system turned to the federal government for a financial bailout.

With a surge on demand for testing — which is expected to grow in the coming days — some labs already face a backlog.

With a surge in COVID cases across the state and country, hospital staff is limited. The CEO’s say another statewide lock-down isn’t the answer but are urging residents instead to take personal steps to reduce spread of the virus.

Santa Staples, born on Christmas Day, was a singular presence at McClaren, where she ran the operating room with military precision. A nurse for 33 years, she died Saturday of COVID-19, one of at least two Michigan nurses lost to the virus in the past week.

The number of coronavirus cases has skyrocketed in recent weeks and those cases are creating increasing demand on hospitals across the state. Health care leaders are calling for more vigilance with masks and social distancing.