Health officials: Those who test positive for COVID should speak to doctors about oral medication
February 7th, 20220 LANSING — With the eligibility criteria for antivirals expanding to include more at-risk Michiganders, state health officials are urging those who test positive for COVID-19 to speak to their health care provider about treatment with oral medication. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says that the supply...
Pfizer asks FDA for emergency approval for COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5
February 2nd, 20220 WASHINGTON D.C. — Pfizer-BioNTech has asked the FDA for emergency authorization for a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children 6-months- to 5-years-old. The company is still awaiting data on a three-dose course. Early data from Pfizer has shown that the vaccine is safe and produces an immune response. For the youngest age group,...
Nessel launches investigation into high insulin prices
February 1st, 20220 LANSING — Attorney General Dana Nessel has sought court approval to investigate Eli Lilly and Co., accusing it of charging excessive prices for insulin. The filings asked an Ingham County judge to authorize a probe under the state consumer protection law, including the use of subpoenas to get records and to interview company...
Addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and illness in the Arab community
January 30th, 20221 — Sara Nasser is a licensed clinical/community mental health counselor and art therapist. It appears the only time we ever really hear about mental health issues in our community is when something unfortunate has happened. So, naturally, the subject becomes a topic of fear to some. Oftentimes, mental illness is hard to recognize or...
More than 1.1 million child COVID-19 cases reported across the country last week
January 28th, 20220 Data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) from across the nation show alarming levels of COVID-19 infection among children. Data collected for the week ending Jan. 20 showed states with more than 1.1 million child COVID-19 cases. The definition of “child” cases is based on varying age ranges reported across...
State will distribute 10 million free KN95 masks
January 27th, 20220 LANSING — Governor Whitmer announced the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is distributing 10 million free KN95 masks to Michiganders, as the state continues to face the highly contagious Omicron variant. Free KN95 masks provided by the MDHHS will be distributed by community organizations, including...
Biden administration withdraws COVID-19 vaccine rule
January 25th, 20220 WASHINGTON DC — The Biden administration has officially withdrawn a rule that would have required workers to get vaccinated. The rule would have required either proof of vaccination or regular COVID testing requirements. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed the withdrawal, but did strongly encourage...
Wayne County and CDC partner to bring COVID testing to Dearborn this week
January 25th, 20220 DEARBORN — Wayne County officials have partnered with the CDC and the city of Dearborn to host a COVID-19 testing site this week. The testing site will be located at the south side parking lot of Ford Field Park at 22051 Cherry Hill Street in Dearborn. Testing will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and...
Whitmer asks the MDHHS to surge 300,000 COVID-19 test kits to schools, other priority groups
January 21st, 20220 LANSING — Governor Whitmer has asked the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) for help distributing COVID-19 test kits. The goal is to distribute these test kits to schools and other priority groups. “Tests are critical in keeping Michiganders safe and controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Whtimer said....
MDHHS issues order requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines
January 20th, 20220 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued an epidemic order requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines. The facilities will be required to offer on-site doses to their residents. “With the omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to...
400 million free N95 masks to be made available starting next week
January 20th, 20220 WASHINGTON D.C. — The Biden administration is expected to be making 400 million N95 masks available for distribution for free starting next week. The announcement came after federal officials started emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The masks will come from...
Grow a few vegetables indoors this winter
January 19th, 20220 - Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was...
Dearborn Public Schools ready, but not planning on returning to virtual learning
January 19th, 20221 DEARBORN — As one of the largest school districts in Michigan, Dearborn Public Schools says that it’s ready, but not yet planning to pull students out of classrooms. In a recent article by WXYZ, a Fordson High School teacher said that attendance in his classes are low due to the spread of the Omicron variant of...
Here’s how to get free COVID-19 tests shipped directly to your Michigan home
January 18th, 20220 LANSING — Governor Whitmer is urging residents to take advantage of the federal government’s free COVID-19 testing program. At-home, rapid COVID-19 tests are available for free at COVIDTests.gov, with every household eligible for four free tests that will be shipped directly to Michiganders’ homes. Deliveries of the tests...
Beaumont Health partnering with Mood Lifters to offer mental health care
January 18th, 20220 DEARBORN — Metro Detroit residents now have the opportunity to participate in a mental wellness program at no cost to themselves. As a part of the Beaumont Healthy Communities program, using a computer and an Internet connection, participants who may be experiencing anxiety or depression or just wish to feel better can participate......
Health insurers to cover eight over-the-counter COVID home tests per month starting Jan. 15
January 14th, 20220 LANSING - The Michigan government is reminding people with health insurance to take advantage of a new federal rule that requires health insurers to cover the cost of eight over-the-counter COVID-19 home tests per month. "We will continue working with our federal partners to ensure that COVID-19 testing is more accessible and less...
Schools nationwide to receive 5 million COVID tests from the federal government
January 14th, 20220 Schools in the U.S. can expect additional COVID-19 tests, being made available by the federal government, in about two weeks. The additional tests are part of a Biden administration strategy to keep schools open during a nationwide coronavirus surge, accelerated by the highly contagious Omicron variant. The White House has said the...
Schools to follow new CDC guidelines of reduced isolation time to five days
January 12th, 20220 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is now following the CDC in reducing isolation time for those with COVID. The isolation time is being changed from 10 days to five days for anyone who tests positive but isn’t showing symptoms. This means anyone who tests positive, but sees no symptoms or sees...
Beaumont, Henry Ford report large number of staff out due to COVID-19 as cases surge
January 9th, 20220 DEARBORN — The current COVID-19 surge is taking a huge toll on both Beaumont and Henry Ford Health Systems throughout Metro Detroit. The surge in cases is the highest ever, with more than 12,000 cases reported per day on average. Henry Ford Health Systems said it has had nearly 700 employees test positive in the last week, which......
New COVID-19 variant found in France, countries are documenting cases of “flurona”
January 9th, 20220 WASHINGTON D.C. — As omicron surges and COVID-19 cases and deaths are on the rise, a new variant was located in France and some countries are documenting cases of “flurona.” The new COVID-19 variant was named IHU and has infected 12 people living near Marseilles in southern France. Health officials have found IHU has 46...
U.S. FDA authorizes Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for 12- to 15-year-olds
January 4th, 20220 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, and narrowed the interval for booster shot eligibility to five months from six. The agency also authorized a third shot for children aged 5- through......
Dearborn’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic is moving
January 4th, 20220 DEARBORN — After nearly a year of being housed at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, the COVID-19 vaccine clinic is moving. Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 4, the vaccine clinic will be held at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center (DISC). The clinic will be open for vaccinations and boosters Monday through Saturday from 12 p.m....
CDC cuts COVID-19 quarantine recommendation to five days
December 28th, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cut the isolation restrictions for COVID-19 patients from 10 to five days. The CDC said the guidance comes from growing evidence that people with COVID-19 are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. Dr. Anthony......
