Monthly Archives: December 2021

(December 15, 2021 5:07 PM) Leaders of Henry Ford Health System termed the current state of COVID a crisis as the health system is now treating 500 COVID patients, a 34 percent increase in just the past month.  As Henry Ford approaches the one-year anniversary of administering its first COVID-19 vaccinations, senior leaders offered a grim assessment today of how surging hospitalizations have their hospitals on the brink. Statewide, hospitalizations are up 10 percent and deaths are up 79 percent in the past two weeks.  Today, Michigan’s fourth COVID-19 surge hit a new milestone:  the average number of people dying of the disease each day over a seven-day period hit 100 for the first time in a year.  This is the highest daily death toll the state has seen since the second wave during December 2020. Bob Riney,  Henry Ford’s President of Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer, and Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, described the situation as dire, a crisis caused by people sick with COVID who are unvaccinated. “The unfortunate reality right now is that no matter which hospital you’re talking to, no matter which health system you’re talking to, the word that you’re…

(December 15, 2021 3:06 PM) Michigan reported 11,722* coronavirus (COVID-19) positive test cases today, with the state reported total now at 1,408,189. Michigan is reporting 330** COVID-19-related deaths today with the state total at 25,570.   *Note on cases (12/15/2021): Today's daily case count represents new referrals of confirmed cases to the MDSS since the last web update report.  Over the two days (Tuesday and Wednesday), the average number of new confirmed cases is 5,861 per day. **The deaths announced today includes 230 deaths identified during a Vital Records review. See cumulative data page for more information. State Cumulative Total of Recovered COVID-19 Cases (as of 12/10/21): 1,146,495. Information is updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3 p.m., with COVID-19 results included as of 10 a.m.   

(December 15, 2021 2:56 PM) Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, the Michigan Public Service Commission, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies today issued a list of resources to save people money and help keep the heat on this winter as temperatures drop.   Michigan families worried about paying for home heating should be aware that there are shutoff protections, financial assistance, and other resources available this season.  “There is help available for working families, seniors, and other Michiganders to stay safe and warm this winter,” said Governor Whitmer. “We will continue working together to put Michiganders first and lower costs for families this winter, and I urge anyone struggling with home heating costs to call 211 or go to mi211.org to learn more about resources for those in need.”  “No one in Michigan has to go without heat this winter,” said Michigan Public Service Commission Chair Dan Scripps. “Qualifying households can get assistance with utility bills, and many Michigan utilities offer flexible payment plans that can spread the costs of home heating year-round to lower the immediate burden of higher costs when cold weather sets in. There also are programs to help households use energy more efficiently and help reduce winter bills.”   “We don’t want anyone to have to worry about keeping their homes warm during the Michigan winter,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth…

(December 15, 2021 12:00 PM)  The Jackson County Health Department released the COVID-19 positive numbers for Jackson County.  As of 12:00 PM today, there are 27,729 positive cases (cumulative), and 406 deaths (cumulative)*.   There are 73 new cases and 10 new deaths since yesterday’s report. As of December 13, there are 85 persons at Henry Ford Allegiance Health being treated as inpatients for COVID-19.  The Jackson County Health Department has announced a change in reporting effective Oct. 6, 2021.  Cases defined as probable will be reported in cumulative case and death counts.  As additional methods of testing besides the PCR test have become more common, the amount of cases classified as probable has increased and are included to provide a more accurate picture of disease in our community.  Cumulative recovered, as of December 15:  23,316** The cumulative numbers posted on Mondays include the data from Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Recovered numbers are being posted as received.  *These numbers do not reflect any cases or deaths identified through Michigan Department of Corrections.  Their numbers are listed under a separate category and reported by the state at Michigan Statistics. Cases reported involving Jackson County school students or staff are included in our…