World News – United States – Everything You Should Know About COVID-19 In Michigan Before Whitmer Announces Today

LANSING, me. – Michigan Gov. . Gretchen Whitmer will be holding a COVID-19 briefing on Friday afternoon. The question everyone is asking is: will the restrictions be relaxed or expanded?

Click here to watch Whitmer’s Friday briefing live. It is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.. m. Friday.

Currently, Michigan is two days ahead of the scheduled expiration of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service’s last appointment.

This « pause » brought stricter restrictions nationwide into force, e. B.. eliminating dining in indoor restaurants, enforcing remote college and high school classes, and closing many entertainment and recreation areas.

When it was first announced, the break was effective from November. 18 to Dec. . 8th. Just before this original expiration date, the order was extended by 12 days to Sunday (December). 20).

Although the first announcement of the « break » on a Sunday evening (Nov. . 15) Michigan officials typically made extensions and changes on weekdays. So it makes sense that Friday’s briefing either marks the beginning of the easing of restrictions or another extension.

Michigan COVID-19 numbers are still much higher than medical experts have suggested, but Dr. . MDHHS chief medical executive Joneigh Khaldun said they are starting to move in the right direction.

Three of the top COVID-19 metrics – case, hospital stay, and positivity rates – are all declining.

As of Tuesday, Michigan was 560 cases per million people, a number that has been trending down for 22 consecutive days, Khaldun said. Fall rates for all eight geographic regions are falling, she said.

A total of 18. 5% of hospital beds in the state had COVID-19 patients, which Khaldun said had also declined.

The percentage of nationwide COVID-19 tests that returned positive had dropped to 12. 3%, said Khaldun. That number had been going down for seven consecutive days.

Of all the restrictions put in the last MDHHS order, none were more controversial than restaurants.

Currently, restaurants are limited to performing, delivery, and outdoor seating. Most Michigan restaurants have been unable to serve customers since winter.

On Tuesday, Whitmer was asked why restaurants are closed when other types of places like shopping malls remain open.

«. « We know that this virus easily gets through the breath, and therefore (indoor food is closed). ”

« We know our restaurants are hurting right now, and it’s not their fault that COVID-19 has spread so far and wide across the country and our state, » Whitmer said.

The first group of health care workers in Michigan received their first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

« Over the weekend, the first batch of FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine left Portage, Michigan, » Whitmer said Tuesday. “We expect the Moderna vaccine to be approved in the next week. ”

This was another positive move on Thursday evening when the Moderna vaccine was the second to receive a recommendation for recommendation from the Advisory Board of the Food and Drug Administration.

Which vaccine should you be taking if both are approved? Whatever you can, according to doctors.

« Doctors asked what vaccine to take? And his answer is to take whatever vaccine you have available, ”Whitmer said. « It doesn’t matter which one – Pfizer or Moderna or maybe others that will go online. These are safe and effective. ”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned residents of scammers selling counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines online. You can read about these scams here.

Michigan reported Thursday 4. 024 new COVID-19 cases and 190 additional deaths, including 125 deaths from a review by Vital Records.

In total, the state has 450 since the pandemic began. 776 COVID-19 cases and 11. 208 deaths reported.

While the number of cases is still high, this is the fifth consecutive total in one day that has decreased. Michigan has had fewer than 5 with each announcement since December. 000 daily cases reported. 11.

Derick is Senior Web Producer at ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime, and local sports.

Gretchen Whitmer, Prosecution, United States Grand Juries, Michigan Governor