Michigan Officials Report 783 New COVID-19 Cases, 13 Deaths

Michigan health officials are reporting 783 new cases of the coronavirus and 13 additional COVID-19 deaths.

Michigan now has 108,595 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 6,552 COVID-19 deaths.

Tuesday the state was at 107,812 confirmed cases with 6,539 deaths.

The state is now providing weekly updates on the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19. These numbers will be updated every Saturday.

As of September 4, 80,678 are being reported as recovered in Michigan.

The state defines ‘recovered’ as the number of persons with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who are alive 30 days post-onset (or referral date if onset is not available).

Businesses like gyms, pools, bowling alleys and indoor skating rinks can now reopen statewide.

Fitness centers and indoor pools opened in the U.P. and the Traverse City region back in June.

As of Sept. 9, the state requires employees at all of those businesses in Michigan to wear masks.

Plus, all gym goers must socially distance and wear a mask inside, except while swimming.

Under the governor’s executive order, all gyms must limit capacity to 25%.

Movie theaters, arcades, amusement parks and trampoline parks are still closed.

Millions of Americans have struggled to make ends meet during the coronavirus, and now more financial help could be coming.

Senate unveiled a new scaled-down stimulus plan that would largely be paid for with unspent money in the CARES law.

It includes an extra $300 in weekly unemployment. Tax credits for two years for parents who are home schooling or using a private school. And the extension of the paycheck protection program.

It is expected to move to the Senate floor Tuesday, but it is still not expected to get the votes it needs.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says, “It’s only to check the box so that some of his endangered Republican senators can go home and say, ‘Well, see, I tried.’ But it isn’t trying. It’s not even an attempt to do the right thing,”

But while Democrats say the bill does not do enough for the American people, Republicans say any chance of getting help has been stopped by the Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says, “We’re going to get the stonewalling of Democratic leaders out from behind closed doors and put those to a vote out here on the floor.”

Just two days ago, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said both sides were no closer to passing a stimulus bill.

Tuesday, Pelosi reiterated that.

As the need for a vaccine becomes increasingly more important, researchers are putting a pause to one leading trials for a vaccine.

The move was made after one of the trial volunteers developed an unexplained illness.

The drug maker AstraZeneca says it has stopped global trials on the vaccine it’s developing with Oxford University.

Independent experts will now review the data before the trials can resume.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is one of three coronavirus vaccines in late-stage, phase 3 trials in the U.S.

The news comes as all three leading candidates said they would not bow to political pressure to release a vaccine too early.

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, says, “American public should be assured. There are no shortcuts in the vaccine development part.”

Another leading contender for a vaccine, Moderna, says its company is under great pressure to get as many people as possible signed up for vaccine trials. That way they can determine the safety of the trials as soon as possible.

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