From large healthcare facilities such as Beaumont Hospital and Bronson Hospital, to nursing homes and elective surgery, health care workers continue to bear the burden in Michigan where cases are rising higher than any other state.
News
Overdose surveillance system helps fight opiod deaths, experts say.
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OPIOIDS: A 2-year-old surveillance system is tracking opioid overdose incidents and deaths in Michigan so health professionals can work to mitigate the problem in high-risk areas. The hardest-hit counties are Calhoun, Wayne, Ingham, Genesee and Muskegon. We hear from U-M and Health & Human Services experts and the Detroit Recovery Project. By Brandon Chew. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
Government
With identity theft reports up, residents are urged to protect themselves
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ID THEFT: Attorney General Nessel says identity theft complaints have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Her office has created a new unit to help victims of such fraud. Meanwhile, the IRS is warning taxpayers of the dangers of identity theft. By Kirsten Rintelmann. FOR ALL POINTS.
Article
MSU playing central role in vaccine distribution in Ingham County
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An individual arrives outside the pavilion to check-in to receive their vaccine. Photo by Kayla Richards. By April 13, a little more than 100,000 Ingham County residents, 42.9% of the county’s population, received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
At the heart of Ingham County’s vaccination effort is the Michigan State University Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education, which opened Dec. 21 for vaccinations. MSU works with the Ingham County Health Department, which receives the vaccines from the state, to administer vaccines via drive-through at the pavilion, eight hours a day Tuesday through Friday.
Lt. Dave Oslund, emergency management unit commander for the MSU Police Department, said the university works with the City of East Lansing and Ingham County’s emergency management unit.
Health
State officials concerned about vaccine misinformation on social media
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VACCINE MISINFORMATION: Attorney General Nessel and the state’s chief medical executive say misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media can be harmful to public health. That includes bogus claims that the vaccine affects fertility and that 5G cell phone towers can exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms. An MSU professor says research shows a correlation between misinformation about vaccines and people’s decision not to get the shots. Nessel’s office is asking platforms like Facebook and Google to take down such websites. By Brandon Chew. FOR ALL POINTS.
Arts & Entertainment
Some music festivals scheduled with social distancing guidelines
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MUSIC FESTIVALS: The pandemic decimated Michigan’s music festival theme last summer, and many organizers have pulled the plug again for this year. However, plans are underway for some others to continue, at least for now, including the Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon and Faster Horses Music Festival in Brooklyn. Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival in Marquette explains why it’s been cancelled this year. Among the other cancellations: Detroit’s Movement Electronic Music Festival. For news and entertainment sections. By Elaine Mallon. FOR LUDINGTON, DETROIT, HOLLAND, OCEANA, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
Article
Michigan State opens student-only vaccine site
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The Michigan State Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education has had a drive-through vaccination clinic for a few months now, but the university created a student-only site. Students can now receive the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the MSU Pavilion. Students can sign up for an appointment on the Ingham County Health Department website. Appointments are regularly added. MSU Deputy Spokesperson Dan Olsen said appointments are booked all through next week.
News
Groups work to stop Michigan pedestrian deaths by trains
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TRAIN DEATHS: Eleven pedestrians were killed by trains in Michigan in the past three years, Federal Railroad Administration reports show. Among the fatalities were incidents in Ingham County and Davison. We talk to Norfolk Southern Corp. a Troy-based train safety group and a Detroit suicide expert. By Samuel Blatchford. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, AND ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
As gun deaths rise, solutions spark heated disagreements
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GUN DEATHS: As firearm-related deaths in Michigan gradually increase, politicians and activist groups are proposing ways to reduce the risk of firearm-related violence. Not surprisingly, such proposals generate a lot of passion for and against gun controls. President Biden just issued an executive order intended to restrict untraceable “ghost guns” made from kits. We hear from Attorney General Nessel and rival advocacy groups — Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners and Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, with professors from MSU and Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. By Sophia Lada. FOR ALL POINTS.
Diversity Issues
Asian American activists speak out against violence
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Concerns are rising about hate crimes against Asian Americans. We hear from a Detroit senator and an MSU expert. By Chloe Trofatter. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT, XXX AND ALL POINTS.
Article
Sparrow & MSU, front-line looks at vaccine distribution
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As of March 22, Sparrow Hospital widened its vaccination criteria to those who are ages 50 and up, as well as people with medical conditions who are ages 16 and up and their caregiver family members and guardians. “It’s been an extremely busy and hectic time, but it’s been a really fun assignment,” said Sparrow Laboratories Manager Elizabeth Reust. “People are excited to get the vaccine, and we’re super pleased to be able to provide it to them.”
Following Ingham County’s March 15 COVID-19 update, we can see that COVID cases and hospitalizations are jumping up and down weekly, with an overall decline. The drive-thru at Sparrow began as a COVID-testing facility (previously a Sears Auto Center), in January of this year and morphed into a place for rapid-vaccination. This model allows for up to 1,000 vaccinations a day.