February 15th, 20210LANSING — The state of Michigan has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. Starting immediately, mortuary services workers can get a shot as part of the CDC recommended group 1A.
On March 1, workers in food processing and agricultural settings, about 79,000 Michiganders, will be able to get vaccinations.
Additionally, 41...
January 29th, 20210Johnson & Johnson said its single-dose vaccine was 72 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in the U.S., but a lower rate of 66 percent was observed globally in the large trial conducted across three continents and against multiple variants.
In the trial of nearly 44,000 volunteers, the level of protection against moderate and...
January 16th, 20210LANSING — The first case of new a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7. has been identified in a woman living in Washtenaw County by the state health authority on Saturday.
The woman recently traveled to the U.K., where this variant originated, according to the MDHHS. Close contacts of this individual have been identified...
January 15th, 20210LANSING — Starting Friday, grants of up to $1,650 are being made available for employees of restaurants and other businesses impacted by the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
The Employee Assistance Grants are made available by a Michigan Senate bill and are designed to provide support to employees impacted by the MDHHS Gathering and...
January 4th, 20210BEIRUT - Lebanon announced a full lockdown for three weeks, including a night curfew, to stem a rise in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals in a country already facing financial meltdown.
Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the lockdown would start on Thursday and run until Feb. 1, with further details on...
December 23rd, 20200With the U.S. in the grips of an unprecedented economic crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government grows increasingly concerned over scammers targeting desperate people.
Experts at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have noted the spread of dangerous schemes that disguise themselves as legitimate ways to...
December 13th, 20200MICHIGAN — A few days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, trucks carrying the vaccine left the company’s plant in Portage, Michigan on Sunday.
An estimated 2.9 million vaccines are expected to be delivered this week, with priority given to health care workers...
December 8th, 20200U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists have endorsed the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ahead of a committee meeting of outside experts and the FDA's eventual use authorization, the health sciences publication STAT reports.
Specifically, reviewers have said the two-dose vaccine is shown to be “highly...
December 6th, 20200President Trump's top ally and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for COVID-19, while he travels the country challenging results of an election Trump lost by most accounts.
News of the former New York mayor having contracted the virus came from the outgoing president himself. Trump tweeted that his lawyer had "tested...
December 4th, 20200LANSING - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated guidance on COVID-19 quarantine periods to conform its standards to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
The CDC now gives the options to reduce the required number of quarantine days for individuals with known...
November 25th, 20201LONDON — A peer-reviewed scientific study published on Wednesday says known mutations of the SARS-CoV-2, or coronavirus, do not increase virus transmissibility.
Researchers also say the mutations do not pose a threat to vaccine efficacy. Viruses mutate, or change, constantly and some, like the flu, mutate more than others. The...
November 16th, 20200DEARBORN — Michigan will begin its three-week “pause” on Wednesday, targeting in particular indoor gatherings around holidays and indoor dining and bar services to mitigate the sate's intense COVID-19 crisis.
This statewide restrictions on certain activities was issued by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services...
November 12th, 20200The U.S. government is partnering with regional pharmacy chains and independent community pharmacies to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines whenever they are made available, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday.
The partnership will cover about 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 U.S. states,...
October 29th, 20200LANSING — Due to rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources (MDHHS) has revised and extended its epidemic order.
Now, the agency has reduced the maximum size of indoor gatherings such as weddings, parties and banquets, which occur in nonresidential settings without fixed seating, from...
October 27th, 20200LANSING — On Tuesday, Governor Whitmer and State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks announced that eligible Michigan teachers and support staff who worked additional time and incurred additional costs during the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic can receive a grant through two new grant programs.
Eligible teachers can...
October 22nd, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed two bills on Thursday that protect workers from retaliation from businesses if they get sick from or are exposed to COVID-19, and protects businesses from COVID-19 related liability.
A trio of Michigan House bills (House Bills 6030-6032) say employers are required to allow workers who are exposed...
October 21st, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed Senate Bills 886 and 991, which expand unemployment benefits for all Michiganders.
The bipartisan bills Whitmer signed will extend unemployment benefits for Michiganders who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of the year. Both bills were sponsored...
October 16th, 20200LANSING — A Politico analysis of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. by various state governments shows certain states stand out in their approaches to public health, mass unemployment and school reopenings.
Politico reporters looked at the states' responses by consulting various health researchers, academic experts and...
October 14th, 20200(REUTERS) — Eli Lilly and Co. said on Tuesday that the government-sponsored clinical trial of its COVID-19 antibody treatment similar to one taken by President Trump has been paused by the U.S. government because of a safety concern.
Trump touted the Lilly drug, along with the antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc....
October 11th, 20200COVID-19 has impacted individuals and families around the world, forcing many working parents to now become virtual, homeschooling teachers. Parent support is crucial now more than ever, especially for those parents whose children may have an intellectual or developmental disability such as autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, epilepsy...
October 10th, 20200(REUTERS) - New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the new coronavirus reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row, according to a Reuters analysis.
Ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including...
October 9th, 20200DOHA, QATAR - Artists are being invited to submit works around the theme of human resilience in the face of crisis to a new digital art contest and online exhibition organized by Qatar Foundation and Qatar Museums as part of Qatar France 2020 Year of Culture, to be hosted at the Paris Peace Forum.
The newly launched initiative is...
October 9th, 20200DETROIT – Wayne County issued a new Emergency Public Health Order that clarifies and amplifies the COVID-19 orders issued by the state of Michigan.
County Executive Warren C. Evans said the order carries forward the public health safety precautions implemented by Governor Whitmer in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A copy...
October 8th, 20200WASHINGTON (REUTERS) — President Trump said on Thursday he would not participate in a virtual debate, throwing into doubt the second presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, scheduled for Oct. 15.
His words came moments after the commission that oversees the debates said the event would be conducted...
October 6th, 20200WASHINGTON, D.C. — After being treated for COVID-19 himself, President Trump downplayed the virus over social media and announced he was breaking off talks with Democrats on an economic aid package that could provide relief to millions of Americans in a pandemic-hit economy.
Trump was discharged from Walter Reed National Medical...
October 6th, 20200WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) — Americans are rushing to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election at an unprecedented pace, early voting numbers show, indicating a possible record turnout for the showdown between President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
With four weeks to go before Election Day, more than 4 million...
October 5th, 20200LANSING — Michigan main health authority has stepped into the ring, now that the state’s Supreme Court has deemed all of Governor Whitmer’s COVID-19 related executive orders since the April extension of the state of emergency unconstitutional.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon has...
October 5th, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer’s administration is asking for clarification from the Michigan Supreme Court after it decided last Friday that her extensions of the state of emergency and subsequent executive orders concerning COVID-19 were unconstitutional.
Whitmer said previously that legally her orders would stay in effect for at...