Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Whitmer Presses For Vaccine 'Surge' To Hard-Hit Michigan
The New York Times: Governor Of Michigan, Battling Virus Surge, Again Calls For More Vaccine Supplies
With her state fighting a huge coronavirus surge, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan renewed her appeal to the Biden administration on Sunday to send the state much larger supplies of vaccine, an idea that the White House has rebuffed. Michigan has recently become a major Covid hot spot in the United States. Average daily reports of new cases have risen sevenfold since a low point in February, and nine of the 10 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most new cases per capita lately are in Michigan. Hospitals are filling up. (Tompkins, 4/12)
USA Today: Biden Administration Won't Surge Vaccines To Virus Hotspots
President Joe Biden's administration said Friday additional vaccine doses will not be delivered to states seeing surges in COVID-19 cases, despite appeals from local leaders and some health experts. The administration says its current rollout plan, based on state adult population, is "fair and equitable." "We're not even halfway through our vaccination program so now is not the time to change course on vaccine allocation," said Jeff Zients, coordinator of the White House COVID-19 task force, during Friday's briefing. (Kiggins and Iyer, 4/10)
NPR: Should States Like Michigan With COVID Spikes Get More Vaccine?
The Biden administration allocates vaccines to states each week based on the number of adults who live there. It's a simple formula aimed at equal distribution and it is watched closely by governors, including Minnesota's Tim Walz. "Anytime they announce how many vaccines there are, I do my math," said Walz. "Minnesota gets 1.74% of what that national number is." (Keith, 4/9)
In related news about Michigan —
Detroit Free Press: Workers Weary, Patients Angry As COVID-19 Fills Michigan Hospitals
By Friday — even as the state administered its 5 millionth vaccine — some hospitals had returned to banning visitors, halting nonemergency procedures and implementing pandemic surge plans. Nearly two dozen hospitals had reached 90% capacity, according to data compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. More than 15% of Michigan hospital beds held COVID-19 patients. Six metro Detroit counties were reporting the most patients since the pandemic’s first, terrifying wave last spring. That meant there are fewer hospital beds available now then when 90-year-old Dean Jensen waited for hours in Trenton. (His family was able to get him treated at the Detroit Medical Center, where he received 18 stitches.) (Erb and Jordan Shamus, 4/10)
CNN: Michigan's Covid-19 Crisis Could Be A Sign Of What's To Come For The US, Expert Says
As the US races to vaccinate more Americans, Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising, predominantly among younger people who haven't yet gotten a shot. Some experts worry this might only be the start of what's to come in the next weeks. Michigan is already in the middle of a violent surge, and one epidemiologist says other states should be paying close attention. (Maxouris, 4/12)
Crain's Detroit Business: Diabetes Patients At High Risk From COVID-19 Are Managing Conditions More Effectively
Diabetes is one of the health risk factors—along with such conditions as lung, kidney, liver and heart disease, obesity and a weakened immune system—that experts cite as reasons Detroit's COVID-19 positive cases and death rates were initially much higher than other areas. Since March 2020, Detroit has recorded 50,623 positive tests of COVID-19 and 1,890 deaths, representing 7% and 12%, respectively, of Michigan's total of 715,478 cases and 16,327 confirmed deaths as of April 7. During the first COVID-19 surge last spring, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties represented 38% of the state's total positive cases and 49% of the deaths by April 30, according to a Crain's analysis. (Greene, 4/11)
