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‘My heart couldn’t take it’: Two years into the pandemic in Michigan, a focus on healing
Molly Nixon’s heart couldn’t take it anymore. The day she decided to leave her job as a nurse at Mercy Health in Muskegon, she dissolved into tears because she knew the three COVID-19 patients she was caring for that day were going to die. “I’d briefly met my three patients, and there was the realization […]
Senate passes GOP tax cut plan; Whitmer calls proposal ‘fiscally irresponsible’
The GOP-led state Senate on Thursday gave its final stamp of approval on a sweeping tax cut plan that now heads to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer – who is expected to veto the legislation and on Thursday called the proposal “fiscally irresponsible” and “unsustainable.” “According to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency (HFA) analysis, this legislation will […]
‘I need to heal’: Michigan health officer resigns in wake of mask mandate anger
When Lisa Peacock resigns as the health officer at the Health Department of Northwest Michigan at the end of April, she plans to get as far away emotionally as she can from these past two years. She plans to heal. Heal from the trauma of the pandemic. From being scared for her life. From receiving […]
How Long COVID has become the ‘silent pandemic’
Every night at 5 p.m., Sheila Decker wraps up her full-time job and opens her computer to spend her evening hours reading “all the newest articles, the newest studies, the newest anything to gain knowledge of what’s going on” about Long COVID. For almost two years, Decker, a 37-year-old living in the Lansing area, has […]
Michigan health officials drop K-12 schools masking recommendation
State health officials announced Wednesday that they are no longer recommending masking in K-12 schools and other indoor public spaces because people have access to vaccines and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are decreasing — although they remain far higher than they were at this point last year when the shots were just being rolled out. […]
Michigan reports 4,271 new COVID-19 cases since Monday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Wednesday that a total of 2,042,013 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 31,271 have died from the virus — an additional 4,271 cases and 312 deaths since Monday. The new numbers combine Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s recorded cases and deaths, with an average of 2,136 […]
‘We seem to let our guard down too quickly, and the virus comes roaring back’
After going through “far and away the biggest outbreak we’ve seen,” Michigan’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have begun to drop following a months-long surge. That’s because vaccination rates continue to increase and the omicron variant has infected such a large swath of the population that it now has far fewer people to find as hosts, […]
State reports 56 new COVID-19 school outbreaks in last week
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Monday that a total of 2,037,742 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 30,959 have died from the virus — an additional 5,380 cases and 60 deaths since Friday. The new numbers combine Saturday’s, Sunday’s and Monday’s recorded cases and deaths, with an average of […]
Michigan reports 5,716 new COVID-19 cases since Wednesday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Friday that a total of 2,032,362 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 30,899 have died from the virus — an additional 5,716 cases and 152 deaths since Wednesday. The new numbers combine Thursday’s and Friday’s recorded cases and deaths, with an average of 2,858 […]
Benson asks police, AG to investigate reports of election equipment tampering in N. Michigan
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Thursday evening that she asked state police and Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate “multiple credible allegations” her office received this week that at least one unauthorized third party illegally tampered with voting equipment in northern Michigan’s Roscommon County and Richfield Township. The party reportedly “gained inappropriate access to […]
$1.2B spending bill would provide COVID tests, relief for hospitals and schools
After sitting on billions of dollars in federal funding for nearly a year, the Republican-led Michigan Legislature passed a $1.2 billion supplemental bill this week that health care leaders said will provide critically needed funds to recruit and retain employees at hospitals that have been hemorrhaging workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. House Bill 5523, introduced […]
Michigan reports 7,527 new COVID-19 cases since Monday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Wednesday that a total of 2,026,646 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 30,747 have died from the virus — an additional 7,527 cases and 330 deaths since Monday. The new numbers combine Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s recorded cases and deaths, with an average of 3,764 […]