Dan Firnbach

Johnson and Johnson plans on making 100 million coronavirus vaccines by April if their clinical trial works out. Right now, the company is conducting a large scale trial to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective. The nation’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says Johnson and Johnson is very close to seeking emergency authorization from the FDA. Johnson and…

Amazon says it’s ready to help President Joe Biden get 100 million Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 in his first 100 days in office, but it comes with a cost. In return, the online retailer is asking for its 800,000 employees to be moved up on the priority list to get the vaccine. Amazon says more than 19,000 of its frontline…

The state has released a preliminary COVID-19 vaccine timeline to help answer questions on when you might be able to get the vaccine. Health care workers and long-term care residents and staff were the first ones in Michigan to get their vaccine. This past Monday, the state began vaccinating anyone 65 years and older, frontline essential workers and child care…

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits is going in the wrong direction. A new report by the labor department says another 965,000 people filed for unemployment benefits for the first-time last week. That was much higher than the previous week. That’s when 784,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits. On top of that, 284,000 workers filed claims for…

Some Americans are planning on a big splurge when they get the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s according to a small survey by LendingTree. The personal financial site surveyed more than 1,200 Americans online last month. 82% of them say they plan to celebrate after they get vaccinated. Some say they were planning a fancy dinner while others were hoping to take a…

The Vatican says that Pope Francis has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the statement doesn’t say when the pope was vaccinated. It adds that Pope Emeritus Benedict was also vaccinated. Vatican City began its vaccine program on Wednesday in a medical center set up inside its main auditorium hall. That’s where Pope Francis often holds his…

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to give people at least one year’s worth of protection from COVID-19, according to Tal Zaks, the biotechnology company’s chief medical officer. Vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer were both granted emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. According to Zaks, Moderna will test to see if a third dose of the vaccine will result…

Beginning Monday, the state of Michigan is expanding its list of who is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Essential workers, including teachers and first responders, and anyone over the age of 65 can now sign up to be vaccinated. In Grand Traverse County, the most populated county in the 9&10 News viewing area, nearly 4,000 doses of the COVID-19…

Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises are beginning the new year with no stops in the US. The cruise companies have suspended all spring sailings from US ports until spring. Princess Cruises hopes to pick up its itineraries after May 14. Its European trips are also on pause for now. Carnival has canceled its schedule in US waters through March…

9&10 News is working to learn more information on what is next for the state’s unemployment benefits. Just before her press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Whitmer line-item vetoed $220 million that would be used to help businesses fund those benefits, but she also signed a bill extending them from 20 to 26 weeks. Incoming Republican Speaker of the House Jason…

The TSA says more than a million people went through airport security checkpoints for the fourth day in a row on Tuesday. Checkpoint traffic also exceeded a million people in eight of the last 12 days. Sunday was the single busiest day of the pandemic. That’s when nearly 1.3 million people got screened. The spike in pandemic era travel raises…

Even as cases trend downward in Michigan, it appears the vaccination effort may be going slower than planned. Operation Warp Speed had planned to vaccinate 20 million by the end of 2020. That’s just three days away, but the CDC says roughly only 2 million have been vaccinated so far. Here in Michigan, it’s now been two weeks since COVID-19…

Japan plans to introduce a mobile tracking app for overseas travelers. It’s an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 before the Tokyo Olympics. All visitors will be required to install an app that uses GPS to track their movements in the country. Japan’s digital transformation minister says the app is still under development, but it is expected to be…

The CDC is urging Americans to stay home during the holidays, but a new statistic shows that’s not happening. The number of people who passed through U.S. airports on Sunday, two days after Christmas, was the highest since the pandemic began. The TSA said about 1 million 285,000 people passed through airport security checkpoints Sunday. It’s the highest level of…

Munson Medical Center in Traverse City received its second shipment of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday and expects to receive 2,400 doses of Moderna’s vaccine Wednesday. The second Pfizer shipments comes less than one week since the first one arrived. Munson says health care workers have been getting vaccinated since the first shipment arrived, and that more than 2,200 have already…