Breaking News

Covid-19

GOP blocks Senate COVID bill, demands votes on immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt Tuesday to begin Senate debate on a $10 billion COVID-19 compromise, pressing to entangle the bipartisan package with an election-year showdown over immigration restrictions that poses a politically uncomfortable fight for Democrats. A day after Democratic and GOP bargainers reached agreement on providing the money for treatments, vaccines and testing, a Democratic move to push the measure past a procedural hurdle failed 52-47. All 50 Republicans opposed the move, leaving Democrats 13 votes short of the 60 they needed to ...

Democratic, GOP Senate bargainers reach $10B COVID aid agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate bargainers reached agreement Monday on a slimmed-down $10 billion package for countering COVID-19 with treatments, vaccines and other steps, the top Democratic and Republican negotiators said, but ended up dropping all funding to help nations abroad combat the pandemic. The compromise drew quick support from President Joe Biden, who initially pushed for a $22.5 billion package. In a setback, he ended up settling for much less despite administration warnings that the government was running out of money to keep pace with the disease's continued — though ...

Three new COVID cases, another death in Iron County

Local data showed three new confirmed COVID-19 positives in Iron County, along with another death blamed on the virus, while Dickinson County had only one new case in a week’s time. Dickinson County also had eight people reclassified this week as recovered from the virus since the last ...

Hospitalizations for virus plunge

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have plunged to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, offering a much needed break to health care workers and patients alike following the omicron surge. The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus has fallen more than 90% in more than two months, and some hospitals are going days without a single COVID-19 patient in the ICU for the first time since early 2020. The freed up beds are expected to help U.S. hospitals retain exhausted staff, treat non-COVID-19 patients more quickly and cut down on ...

State lists only one new virus case in area in 2 days

State data Wednesday showed only one new confirmed COVID-19 positive in Dickinson County and no cases added in Iron County since Monday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website Wednesday had 39 new confirmed positives in the Upper Peninsula since Monday: nine ...

US opens second boosters to 50 and up, others at risk

Americans 50 and older can get a second COVID-19 booster if it’s been at least four months since their last vaccination, a chance at extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for that age group and for certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later recommended the extra shot as an option but stopped short of urging that those eligible rush out and get it right away. That decision ...