Breaking News

Covid-19

Michigan officials expect omicron variant to sweep state

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — People who haven’t been vaccinated for COVID-19 are taking up too many beds at Michigan’s strained hospitals, as the state prepares for the rapid spread of omicron variant, the governor said Tuesday. The omicron variant is already the dominant strain in the U.S. and is expected to spread rapidly through Michigan in the near future, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a news conference in Grand Rapids where health officials also spoke. “I have come to appreciate the fact that because this virus is mutating and it’s spreading so quickly, every one of us is ...

State: 12 new virus cases in Dickinson, 7 in Iron

State data Monday showed a dozen new confirmed COVID-19 positives in Dickinson County in the past three days while Iron County had only seven more cases. Figures on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website Monday indicated 145 new confirmed COVID-19 positives ...

Booster shots may be best defense against omicron

The new omicron variant took only a few weeks to live up to dire predictions about how hugely contagious it is but scientists don’t yet know if it causes more severe disease even as the world faces exploding cases just before Christmas. “Everything is riskier now because omicron is so ...

Wisconsin officials urge vaccinations

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials and Gov. Tony Evers on Monday urged residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and take other precautions, such as wearing masks and keeping holiday gatherings small, as the new omicron variant is expected to create a surge in cases over the coming weeks. Also Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the mask mandate in place in Dane County. The decision to take the case came just after the county health department announced it would be extended into February. The court's ruling, which is unlikely before ...

State: 16 new virus positives in Dickinson, six in Iron

State data Friday showed 16 new confirmed COVID-19 positives in Dickinson County in the past two days while Iron County had only six more cases. Figures on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website Friday indicated 201 new confirmed COVID-19 positives in the ...

Court allows Biden employer vaccine mandate to take effect

A federal appeals court panel on Friday allowed President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead, reversing a previous decision on a requirement that could affect some 84 million U.S workers. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide. The mandate from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was to take effect Jan. 4. With Friday's ruling, it's not clear when the requirement might be put in ...