Here\u2019s the governor\u2019s updates:<\/p>\n
Thursday is National Get Covered Day and the governor urged Michiganders who need health care coverage to sign up before the Affordable Care Act deadline on Dec. 15. If you haven\u2019t signed up and think you might be eligible, visit\u00a0healthcare.gov.<\/p>\n
Before Thanksgiving, Whitmer sent a letter to the Legislature urging to pass a $100 million relief bill to provide support to families and small businesses in Michigan hit hard by the pandemic. The governor said she looks forward to working with Michigan\u2019s Legislature to enact $50 million to help Michiganders who need it most.<\/p>\n
Whitmer added effective immediately, most entertainment recreational venues and restaurants that depend on indoor dining, can postpone their monthly sales, use and withholding tax payments that are due Dec. 20, can be postponed to Jan. 20, 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state treasury will wave all penalties and interest for 31 days. This is a crucial step in helping our businesses that are struggling, but we still need the Legislature and the federal government to act,\u201d Whitmer said.<\/p>\n
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.<\/p>\n
Khaldun says there are 514 cases per million per day in the state and has been declining for the past 19 days. All areas of the state have seen a decline in the case rate. The percent of tests that are positive is at 14 percent and the number has been fluctuating up and down for the past few weeks, but has not changed significantly and is \u201cstill quite high.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hospitalizations are overall trending down over the past week and decreased in all but two regions in the state. Nineteen percent of in-patient beds have COVID-19 patients in them.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also been a slight decrease in testing. Michigan has averaged a little over 56,500 tests per day last week compared to over 59,000 tests per day this week.<\/p>\n
The department is also actively preparing to distribute a COVID vaccine when it is approved by the FDA. Khaldun said this could happen as early as the week of Dec. 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cA vaccine will only be approved when it has gone through three phases of clinical trials including tens of thousands of people, and the top scientists and doctors in the country have reviewed the data and have determined that the vaccine is actually safe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
There are two vaccines in the final approval processes. Once they are approved, the department is expected to receive a \u201climited allocation\u201d of the vaccines and expects to receive shipments every week. The vaccines would then go to hospitals, local health departments, pharmacies and other partners, according to Khaldun.<\/p>\n
Based on recents estimates from the federal government, Michigan will receive about 84,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine if it becomes available the week of Dec. 14. The Moderna vaccine \u2014 which is a different vaccine \u2014 is behind the Pfizer vaccine in the approval process, Khaldun said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is approved, and that may be later on this month as well, recent federal estimates suggests (Michigan) will receive about 173,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine in the first shipment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Khaldun reiterated information provided on the vaccines Thursday, were both estimates and depend on the federal government and the manufacturing process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amount and the timing of these shipments could still change, but we are still making plans to send vaccines to hospitals and local health departments across the state that have the ability to administer and store them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The first priority for vaccination will be frontline healthcare workers, as well as people living and working in longterm care facilities. As more vaccines become available, they will be distributed to more people including other essential workers, people with underline medical conditions and people who are over the age of 65.<\/p>\n
By late spring, Khaldun hopes the vaccine will be available for the general public.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that every adult in the state starts making plans for getting the vaccine. Talk to your doctor now about your risk factors and when the vaccine may become available to you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For the maximum vaccination benefit, there will be two doses for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. If you get the Pfizer vaccine, the doses will be administered three weeks apart. For the Moderna vaccine, the doses will be administered four weeks apart.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to expect once vaccinated. The vaccines are preparing your body to fight the real virus if it comes into contact with it. This means many will get mild symptoms after getting vaccinated such as:<\/p>\n
Khaldun said these are things to expect and it means that the vaccine is working.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s the governor\u2019s updates: On Thursday, Whitmer signed\u00a0Executive Order 2020-193 creating the\u00a0bipartisan\u00a0Protect Michigan Commission within the Department of…\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n