MARQUETTE — Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain announced on Facebook that intensive care unit nurse Pam Faccio received the first COVID-19 vaccine in the county on Thursday.

Dr. Donald Kube, chief of staff, and Dr. Charles Papp, an emergency medicine physician, also were given the vaccine that day.

Aspirus Health on Thursday announced it received its first allocation of vaccine and has started vaccinating its employees. Aspirus’ first shipment of vaccine was delivered to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital in Laurium.

Aspirus officials noted it did not receive enough doses for all the employees who wish to be vaccinated, explaining it is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide the vaccine first to employees at the greatest risk, such as those regularly providing care to patients with COVID-19.

The number of people eligible to receive the vaccine will grow as vaccine supplies allow.

MI COVID Alert app hits 500K downloads

A month after its statewide launch, the MI COVID Alert app has reached nearly 500,000 downloads, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget announced on Thursday.

The departments indicated there have been 461,192 downloads of MI COVID Alert, with the state also rolling out a second option for users to receive the PIN required to anonymously share a positive COVID-19 test result.

MDHHS Director Robert Gordon pleaded with the public to use the alert.

“So much about fighting COVID is hard, but this is easy: Please download MI COVID Alert on your phone,” Gordon said in a statement. “It protects your privacy, and it will help protect us all. If we hit even a million downloads by January 2021, we’ll be safer until a vaccine is available to the broader population.”

Even when just 15% of a population used an exposure notification app like MI COVID Alert, researchers from Oxford University found a potential to reduce infections and deaths, the MDHHS said. Already, nearly 9% of Michigan residents ages 18 to 64 have downloaded MI COVID Alert.

When a person tests positive for COVID-19, they are eligible to receive a randomly generated PIN. This PIN allows people to share test results anonymously in MI COVID Alert.

After a positive test result is entered into the app, close contacts — people who have been within six feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period — will receive an anonymous push notification letting them know they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and the number of days since the possible exposure took place. No personally identifiable information is required or shared with other users.

With the total number of COVID-19 cases and people exposed to the virus recently, some COVID-positive residents may not receive a call from their local health departments right away.

However, app users can now retrieve a PIN two more ways by calling their local health departments or contacting the Michigan COVID-19 hotline at 2-1-1 or 888-535-6136 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

MI COVID Alert uses randomly generated phone codes and low-energy Bluetooth technology to gauge proximity between phones with the app instead of using GPS. The use of this technology protects the privacy of all users and prevents tracking someone’s exact location. Michigan worked with Apple and Google to make MI COVID Alert compatible with similar apps in other states.

The exposure notification feature included in recent iOS and Android operating system updates works only with a companion app like MI COVID Alert, which is available for iOS and Android phones by visiting Apple and Google app stores.

BOW workshop canceled

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has canceled the winter Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop because of COVID-19.

The annual weekend event takes place in February at Bay Cliff Health Camp in Big Bay. A similar summer BOW workshop class takes place the first weekend in June at Bay Cliff.

“We are optimistic that we will be able to host a 2021 summer BOW workshop, although it could potentially look different from past years,” said Michelle Zellar, DNR BOW coordinator, in a news release. “For now, we will be doing some Instagram live events, featuring some of our BOW instructors and committee members.”

Information about the Instagram events can be found at Instagram.com/BOW_Michigan.

The workshops give women across the Midwest and elsewhere the opportunities to experience outdoor recreation activities. For the latest BOW news, sign up to receive email notifications at Michigan.gov/BOW.

Food assistance continues

Around 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits this month as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the MDHHS announced on Thursday.

The state previously approved the additional food assistance beginning in March. That assistance is being extended this month with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

“No Michigander should have to worry about how they’ll put food on the table for themselves and their families, especially during a pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “That’s why my administration is working hard to provide some support to families who need it most. I will continue working with MDHHS to help every Michigander get through this crisis.”

Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Cards by Dec. 30, with payments beginning for some households on Monday. Additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.

Households eligible for Food Assistance Program benefits will receive additional benefits this month to bring all current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cases to the maximum monthly allowance for that group size.

This change only applies to customers not currently receiving the maximum benefit amount. The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent more than 50% of the more than 680,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in September. The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act.

Eligible families do not need to apply again to receive the additional benefits.

Orders issued for hand sanitizer

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday issued a stop-use and stop-removal order for Bamboo brand hand sanitizer after finding the products do not protect the public and do not comply with the standards in the Michigan Weights and Measures Act, 1964 Public Act 283.

“Hand sanitizers have become one of the critical tools for preventing COVID-19,” said Craig VanBuren, MDARD’s Laboratory Division director, in a statement. “They must have a minimum of 70% isopropyl alcohol or 60% ethyl alcohol to be considered effective.

“Working to ensure that Michiganders are getting what they pay for is a hallmark of consumer protection. It’s especially vital right now for MDARD to be conducting marketplace sampling of hand sanitizers.”

As part of its marketplace investigation, MDARD discovered these hand sanitizers do not meet the labeled alcohol content, a key ingredient in effective hand sanitizer. The Bamboo brand stated it contained 75% ethyl alcohol; however, MDARD testing confirmed it contained less than the required 60%. The department’s weights and measures section is also currently conducting additional sampling of various hand sanitizers to ensure they meet the minimum criteria to protect public health.

The order prohibits the sale, offering for sale or use of hand sanitizers sold as Bamboo Moisturizing hand sanitizer stating “75% alcohol.” These products should no longer be used, immediately be removed from store shelves or other product displays, and no longer be offered for sale.

The order means no Bamboo brand hand sanitizers can be sold or used in Michigan effective last Tuesday. The products may be returned to the place of purchase or properly disposed of in accordance with local ordinances.

For more information and photos of the product label, visit Michigan.gov/MDARD.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net