Detroit takes its vaccines on the road, suspect shoots at DFD rig, Whitmer pushes for more vaccines
MONDAY NEWS HIT - Detroit is taking its public health show on the road over the next several days by kicking off Neighborhood Vaccine Week in eight different locations around the city.
Lagging behind the rest of the state that now faces a dangerous infection rate that surged before enough younger residents could get vaccinated, Detroit has covered about half as much as the rest of the state.
Part of that is due to access - which is why instead of inviting everyone to the TCF Center and Ford Field, the public health department is traveling to high schools and community centers.
The eight pop-up clinics will be in every one of the city's seven districts. They include:
- Monday, 4/12 Henry Ford High School - 20000 Evergreen Western High School - 1500 Scotten
- Henry Ford High School - 20000 Evergreen
- Western High School - 1500 Scotten
- Tuesday, 4/13 Randolph CTE School - 17101 Hubbell
- Randolph CTE School - 17101 Hubbell
- Wednesday, 4/14 Brenda Scott Academy - 18440 Hoover Cass Tech High School - 1501 Second Ave
- Brenda Scott Academy - 18440 Hoover
- Cass Tech High School - 1501 Second Ave
- Thursday, 4/15 Breithaupt Career Center - 9300 Hubbell Islamic Center of Detroit - 14350 Tireman
- Breithaupt Career Center - 9300 Hubbell
- Islamic Center of Detroit - 14350 Tireman
- Friday, 4.16 East English Village Prep
- East English Village Prep
All locations will be offering the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"With Pfizer you have to take two doses as well as with Moderna. Johnson & Johnson is one shot," said Detroit Public Health Officer Denise Fair. "I think it's great for those who may be afraid of needles and they can only bear it one time."
"But again, it doesn't matter which vaccine you choose, they're all safe, they're all highly effective," said Fair.
Any of these locations are open to citizens. All they need to do is make an appointment at (313) 230-0505
Suspect fires on responding Detroit fire truck
Around 9:41 p.m. Saturday, Detroit firefighters were heading out on a call when they were forced to honk their horn to move a car blocking the driveway out of the way.
But as the rig drove past, people inside heard gunshots before realizing their vehicle had been struck.
There were two people inside the rig at the time, both described as Black. The driver was a man with a medium-sized afro, and an orange shirt or jersey. The passenger was a woman who was wearing a turquoise top.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the Detroit Police Department at 313-596-1040 or Crime Stoppers at 1800-SPEAK-UP.
Whitmer vows to keep pushing for more vaccines
Michigan's governor said on Sunday she intends to keep pushing the White House for more access to coronavirus vaccines after the president declined her request amid the state's largest increase in infections in the country.
Gretchen Whitmer says she is "really encouraging" the federal government to consider surging vaccines into the state during a CBS' "Face the Nation" segment Sunday morning.
"We are definitely grateful for the boots on the ground that they're sending the mobile units. We're definitely grateful for the therapeutics and the increased testing. Those are all really important," Whitmer said. "But I am going to also continue fighting for my state."
So far, President Joe Biden has offered increase vaccine support and testing, but no more vaccines since boosting supplies a couple of weeks ago. Currently, Michigan has covered almost 40% of its citizens with at least one vaccine - about 3.21 million.
Asian Americans hold anti-hate rally in Troy
About 100 people congregated for an anti-hate rally as Asian Americans find themselves the latest group that's been subject to racist attacks in the U.S.
Whenever We're Needed Detroit (WWN) and Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote organized the event Sunday afternoon outside Troy City Hall. Almost a quarter of Oakland County's biggest city is of Asian descent.
Both verbal abuse and physical attacks have been documented around the country as individuals have targeted Asian Americans, blaming them for the pandemic. COVID-19 first originated in China.
But as many at the rally noted Sunday, racism has become a twin issue that communities have had to deal with as they also wade through the public health crisis that has engulfed the country over the past year.
A statewide request to stay home
It appears Michigan will grit its teeth through its third wave without a statewide mandate on businesses, schools, or gatherings.
On Friday, the governor stopped short of implementing new restrictions, instead, she asked people to avoid dining indoors at restaurants schools to go remote. Age groups in high school who only recently became eligible to receive a vaccine are at an all-time high for new cases.
However, the request has put businesses in a difficult position. People have the personal freedom to eat out but are discouraged to do so. Schools have also been scheduling standardized testing for the next couple of weeks.
There have also been big concerns about cases rising in schools after spring break travel. The state has even opened pop-up testing sites and is urging students to get tested before they return to school.
What else we're watching
- Eight people were hospitalized Monday morning after a home explosion in Marshall, a southern Michigan city. The extent of the injuries was not immediately known.
- Now that Biden has introduced his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, it's time to sell it to the American public. The White House is doing that with a state-by-state breakdown showing the dire shape of roads and bridges. You can bet Michigan will be high on the list
- A 51-year-old man has died and a 27-year-old woman was injured in a double shooting Sunday morning on the city's west side.
- Union members are protesting Fiat-Chrysler's plan to turn a closed factory into a parts plant without union-protected laborers. Members from the Laborers International Union of North America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers were outside the closed Cadillac stamping plant Monday morning
- A man Dearborn man accused of stabbing five people in late March will have a preliminary examination today.
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Daily Forecast
A few Monday showers will pass through as warm conditions are expected to float through the week. A high of 63 and a low of 43 is expected today.
Near-universal mask use could save 14,000 lives from COVID-19 in US by August, according to model
A new model suggests that if 95% of Americans wear a mask, 14,000 lives could be saved over the summer from COVID-19 in the United States.
The University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation updated its COVID-19 projections last week. Right now, researchers project that the country’s COVID-19 death toll could reach 618,523 by Aug 1. However, with nearly universal mask use, that number is predicted to go as low as 604,403 deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins, more than 562 million Americans have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began in March 2020. It’s the highest death toll in the world, according to their data.
In the worst-case scenario, the model predicted the country could see 697,573 deaths by August if the country returns to pre-pandemic behaviors. That is even with the model taking into account the rate of vaccinations.