coronavirus vaccine

Update: 07/30/2021 at 4:40 p.m.

Michigan State University will join the University of Michigan in requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students, staff and faculty on campus this fall.

President Samuel Stanley Jr. announced Friday that all students and employees must be fully vaccinated by August 31 if they plan to be on campus this fall. There are a few medical and religious exemptions. The announcement comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated masking and testing guidelines nationwide to combat the delta variant.

Central Michigan University students could win a full-year scholarship for being fully vaccinated.

The university announced Monday that it will name winners Aug. 2 and 23, Sept. 13, and Oct. 4. Each drawing will have 100 students who will get a $75 gift card and one student who will win a full-year scholarship for the 2021-2022 school year.

Vice President Kamala was in Detroit Monday, discussing voting rights and the COVID-19 vaccine. She arrived Monday morning, and participated in a voting rights listening session with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Michigan's COVID-19 numbers are significantly lower than they were months ago in March and April, when the state saw its third surge. At the height of the third surge, on April 7, Michigan had a seven-day death average of 75 per day. Over the last week, an average of one person died each day of COVID in Michigan.

About $5 million in cash and college scholarships will be given away in lottery-style drawings aimed at raising Michigan’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday.

The incentive program features a $2 million jackpot, a $1 million prize and 30 daily drawings of $50,000 for residents ages 18 and older who have gotten at least one shot. Vaccinated residents ages 12 to 17 are eligible for one of nine four-year prepaid tuition contracts valued at $55,000.

Updated at 3:01 p.m.

By September 10, all 30,000-plus Henry Ford Health System employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, or risk losing their jobs.

The announcement on Tuesday makes HFHS the first health system in the state to require the vaccine, and comes just weeks after a federal judge in Texas threw out a lawsuit from Houston Methodist employees over a similar mandate. But Bob Riney, Henry Ford’s COO, hopes it won’t come to that.

Any Detroiter aged 12 and older can now get a COVID-19 vaccine in their own home, as Detroit expands its at-home vaccination effort beyond the homebound population.

Detroit is lagging the rest of the state when it comes to vaccinations—only about 37% of Detroiters 12 and up have received at least one shot so far, compared to about 56% statewide.

For restaurant and retail workers, the Rare Bird in Traverse City was offering a pretty good deal last Monday: come get your COVID vaccine, and not only are you protected from the virus that’s killed some 3.8 million globally, they’ll throw in a $50 Visa gift card, plus $1 draft beers and $3 cocktails.

Michigan has reached a vaccination rate of 60% for a first dose of COVID-19 vaccines. That's in the population aged 16 and older.

Ten days ago [June 1], there was a major loosening of economic restrictions, with Michigan fully lifting outdoor capacity limits. Indoor places can have 100% capacity on July 1.

United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is visiting Michigan this week. His first stop was at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, where the Washtenaw County Health Department was distributing COVID-19 vaccines.

Most of the people getting the shot at the popup clinic were young people, aged 12-18. Vilsack watched as a middle-schooler got the vaccine, and commended her responsibility to her community.

First Lady Jill Biden visited Grand Rapids Thursday. She's promoting the emerging partnership between community colleges and pharmacies.

It’s all part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to create pop-up vaccination sites on campuses across the country.

Sometimes you just need the right messenger. And sometimes that messenger is a kid in Grand Traverse County who just wants an uninterrupted baseball season. 

“(He) in particular wanted to be the first, and then he recruited the whole rest of his baseball team to get vaccinated, so that they can continue to play together," said Wendy Hirschenberger, the Grand Traverse County health officer. "And so that's how vaccinations work as a whole."

Albion College is requiring all students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to return to campus for the planned fully in-person fall semester. Albion is the first college in Michigan to require that everyone on campus get the shot.

Medical and religious exemptions will be granted, and students, faculty, and staff will have until August 1 to submit proof of vaccination.

Earlier in the pandemic, health officials were worried Indigenous populations would be hesitant to get a COVID vaccine. Now, they’re among the most vaccinated populations in the country. That's according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Michigan, community nurses say there was already a lot of trust in tribal health centers that administer the shots.

Starting Saturday, fully vaccinated Michiganders are no longer required to wear a face mask inside or outdoors.

The Michigan House Overnight Committee met on Thursday morning to discuss a bill that would ban the state government's use of a vaccine passport. This follows last Thursday's hearing, wherein some speakers promoted conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Committee Chair Steven Johnson (R-Wayland) presented changes to House Bill 4667 today, including exempting the CDC immunization card from the definition of passport.

The head of a major hospital in Windsor, Ontario wants Michigan to give up some of its surplus COVID-19 vaccines.

David Musyj, CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, has submitted an emergency application to Health Canada’s special access program. Health Canada is the country’s equivalent of the U.S Food and Drug Administration, and the program allows Canada to procure life-saving drugs abroad if they’re in short supply there.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that 55% of Michiganders have received their first dose of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

The announcement marks the first milestone of the “MI Vacc to Normal” plan, which would enable in-person work to resume across all employment sectors on May 24.

Plenty of Michiganders went to neighboring states like Ohio and Indiana to get the COVID-19 vaccine, especially when availability was more limited at home. Now, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is asking them to notify their primary care provider.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced a plan for the state's reopening called MI Vacc to Normal. The plan will relax COVID-19 restrictions to the percentage of residents that are at least partially vaccinated.

No, there’s no evidence COVID-19 vaccines can impact a teen girl’s fertility. 

And yes, actually, your kid can get really sick from COVID.