Cases on the rise in eastern U.P.; State launches new vaccine milestone tracker

State launches new vaccine milestone tracker

MARQUETTE -- COVID cases continue to rise in four eastern Upper Peninsula counties.

Mackinac County added the most cases throughout April with 131 cases, followed by Luce County with 100 cases. Alger and Schoolcraft Counties each increased by a total of 47 cases, according to the Luce, Mackinac, Alger, Schoolcraft District Health Department.

The largest case increase over the last month was reported in people ages 19 to 64, with that age group comprising around 55% of cases across all four counties.

This group was followed by the 3 to 18 age range at around 32%, 65 and up at 9.80%, 0-2 at just over 2% and unknown at around 1%.

In March, the LMAS District Health Department's four-county jurisdiction added 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 73 probable cases for a total of 132. However, that number increased from April 4 to May 5, adding 325 cases of COVID-19 in the last month alone, 179 of which were confirmed and 146 which are probable.

Officials with the health department pointed to an early loosening of restrictions as the cause of the increase, despite the vaccination campaign.

"As COVID vaccinations received Emergency Use Authorization and became available in December 2020, there was a sense of relief and hope, but what followed has been a trend to abandon all precautions before we reach the needed levels of immunity to be able to safely move forward," health department officials said in a news release. "Some restrictions are being eased, especially for those who are fully vaccinated, but with variants on the rise in the region, individuals not wearing a mask, and the growing number of large indoor and outdoor gatherings, more cases are the result.

"The more people who are infected with COVID, the greater chance of more variants developing, and greater the risk of one of those variants being resistant to the vaccines and the existing treatments for COVID disease."

Health department officials said it has several COVID vaccination opportunities available across its four counties. Residents of Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft Counties who would like to sign up for a vaccine appointment can visit LMASDHD.org.

"The COVID vaccinations are effective at preventing COVID disease and reducing the spread of the virus," health department officials said in the release. "Any serious risks from vaccinations are very rare. The risks from having COVID are much more likely, and much more serious, not just for people who are old or have other health conditions. All are at risk of complications or death from COVID disease.

"Whatever your vaccination status, we need you to help take care of yourself and each other by continuing to mask and social distance in public places or with people who do not live in your immediate household."

Vaccine milestone tracker launched

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Friday launched the Vacc to Normal Milestone Tracker to complement the Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard. This tracker includes vaccinations of residents received in-state and out-of-state, allowing the state to provide more comprehensive data on vaccination milestones as they are reached.

The tracker uses vaccination counts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker to provide information on the number of Michiganders ages 16 and older who have received their first dose, as the CDC has access to administration data from providers who are not currently reporting to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, including federal entities, such as veteran's hospitals and U.S. Department of Defense facilities, and out-of-state providers who administered vaccines to Michigan residents.

The Vacc to Normal Tracker also tracks the date when 55%, 60%, 65% and 70% of Michigan residents 16 years or older have received their first dose of vaccine and provides the date two weeks later when the next steps to normalcy will move forward. The Vacc to Normal plan will use four vaccination-based milestones:

55% of Michiganders -- 4,453,304 residents -- plus two weeks

≤ Allows in-person work for all sectors of business.

60% of Michiganders -- 4,858,150 residents -- plus two weeks

≤ Increases indoor capacity at sports stadiums to 25%.

≤ Increases indoor capacity at conference centers/banquet halls/funeral homes to 25%.

≤ Increases capacity at exercise facilities and gyms to 50%.

≤ Lifts the curfew on restaurants and bars.

65% of Michiganders -- 5,262,996 residents -- plus two weeks

≤ Lifts all indoor capacity limits, requiring only social distancing between parties.

≤ Further relaxes limits on residential social gatherings.

70% of Michiganders -- 5,667,842 residents-- plus two weeks

≤ Lifts the Gatherings and Face Masks Order such that MDHHS will no longer employ broad mitigation measures unless unanticipated circumstances arise, such as the spread of vaccine-resistant variants.

To date, 4,393,499 residents age 16 and older have received their first dose of he safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, 54% of the state's residents. The Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard provides detailed information on doses administered and coverage, including detail on county, age group, race/ethnicity and provider type. The Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard provides detailed data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry collected from Michigan enrolled providers.

Doses administered to Michigan residents by most health care providers in other states are not sent to MCIR at this time. The CDC is developing an interstate data transfer system for sharing data on COVID-19 vaccine doses between states for their residents. Michigan has signed a Data Sharing Agreement with CDC and is working with other states to put technological connections in place for sharing information until the CDC data transfer system is developed. Michigan has had data sharing agreements with Wisconsin and North Dakota for all immunizations since before the COVID-19 vaccination campaign began.

Michiganders who have been vaccinated in another state are urged to bring their vaccination card to their health care provider at their next appointment or to their local health department to have their immunization information updated in MCIR. Although MDHHS is now receiving CDC counts on first doses administered to Michigan residents, this data is aggregate and does not include information about county of residence, age, sex or other demographic information.

Virtual town hall to discuss vaccine for people with disabilities

The state of Michigan will be holding a town hall focused for people with disabilities and their caregivers who have concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, organizers announced Friday.

The pre-recorded captioned event can be viewed on the MDHHS Facebook page at Facebook.com/MichiganHHS.

"I am pleased with our efforts to expand access to these safe and effective vaccines, through mass vaccination sites and ongoing efforts to make these vaccines accessible to people in neighborhoods through mobile efforts and community partnerships," Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy of health for the MDHHS, said in a news release. "Equitable access to vaccines is important, and we want the people with disabilities and their caregivers to be able to have their questions answered, and barriers to access removed."

Khaldun was joined in the town hall discussion by Matt Bolger of the Michigan State Police; Brian Calley of the Small Business Association of Michigan; Julie Conn, speech pathologist with Huron Valley Schools; Tim Hileman of Special Olympics Michigan and the Protect Michigan Commission Disability Workgroup chair; and Lucia Rios with the Lakeshore Disability Network.

This discussion is the latest installment in the state's vaccine town hall series. The goal of the town halls is "to address the safety and efficacy of the vaccine by answering questions within vulnerable communities, including people with disabilities who face unique challenges in accessing the vaccine," organizers said in the news release.

Michigan Courts log more than 3 million hours of Zoom hearings

The Michigan Supreme Court announced Friday that courts across the state have accumulated more than 3 million hours of Zoom video hearings since proceedings moved online more than one year ago.

"I am proud of how nimble, creative and dedicated Michigan judges and court staff have been in both protecting public health and keeping the doors of justice open for our entire state," Chief Justice Bridget M. McCormack said in a news release. "Working remotely has helped us transform our judiciary into a more accessible, engaged, transparent, efficient and customer-friendly branch of government that people can trust."

The court pivoted to authorizing the additional use of remote proceedings at the onset of the pandemic. It also provided training for judges and court staff and implemented new technology to enhance security and access, officials said.

Nearly 1,000 judges and other courts officers across the state are using Zoom licenses provided by the State Court Administrative Office.

In addition to Zoom, the MSC's online Virtual Courtroom Directory, which allows the public to search and access livestreamed or recorded court proceedings, has been accessed nearly 260,000 times since its launch last year. YouTube videos from Michigan courts have also been viewed nearly 38 million times, and trial court YouTube channels have racked up more than 110,000 subscribers.

Additionally, the court system reported the following pandemic adaptations:

≤ Offered the nation's first statewide online dispute resolution tool

≤ Developed a new application that enables courts to text parties regarding hearing dates and payments owed

≤ Protected secure access to date for courts by partnering with the industry to build a virtual desktop environment that allows judges and court staff to securely access case files

≤ Provided guidance to courts on every aspect of holding jury trials that protect public health and rights of parties from voir dire to verdict

≤ Improved access for self-represented litigants through the Michigan Legal Help webpage at www.michiganlegalhelp.org on issues ranging from evictions to unemployment insurance.

For more information, visit www.courts.mi.gov/COVID19.

Whitmer proclaims May 2-8 as Small Business Week

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday issued a proclamation marking Sunday through Saturday -- May 2 through May 8 -- as Small Business Week.

"Michigan is home to thousands of small businesses that are the backbone of our communities," Whitmer said in a statement. "Small businesses support the economy, add vibrancy to our communities, and provide hundreds of thousands of jobs across Michigan. They have been so resilient through the pandemic and I am committed to getting them the support they need as we build our economy back better."

Small businesses made up more than 99.6% of Michigan's businesses, employing around 1.9 million individuals, or 49% of the private workforce, according to recent data from the U.S. Small Business Administration. In 2019, 92% of net new jobs in the state were created by businesses with fewer than 20 employees, while businesses with 20-99 employees had the largest share of small business employment in the state.

More than $240 million in direct relief has gone to 25,000 small businesses across all 83 Michigan counties over the last year through the efforts of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, officials said in the release.

The relief retained 200,000 jobs for Michiganders while also supporting retooling efforts to produce 2.5 million units of personal protective equipment and generate $27 million in new revenue for small and mid-size manufacturers and nonprofits, according to the release. Funding to assist small businesses has come through Whitmer's MI COVID Recovery Plan and the American Rescue Plan. The Whitmer administration encourages small businesses across the state to access additional federal relief programs, including the Restaurant Relief Initiative. Applications for relief through the U.S. Small Business Administration opened Friday. For more information on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, visit www.sba.gov/restaurants.

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.