Whitmer to give COVID update, Michigan hospital cancels surgeries, Maurielle Lue describes her virus battle

Some surgeries are being canceled by Michigan Medicine as COVID-19 hospitalizations spike.

According to a release from the hospital, it has seen "record high emergency room and admission volumes for both COVID and non-COVID," forcing some surgeries this and next week to be rescheduled.

READ MORE: Deaths climb, cases spike as state works to vaccinate more people

When the pandemic was raging last spring, many hospitals canceled procedures and reserved for COVID patients.

Last week, Michigan Medicine implemented new hospital visitor restrictions to mitigate virus spread.

The Michigan Medicine Surgery chair posted a tweet about the surgery cancelations and pleaded for help from leaders and the CDC.

"We are starting to cancel surgical cases again to accommodate rapidly accelerating Covid-19 admissions. Entire state is high-risk. Bars and restaurants are open. People are out and about. No new restrictions," Justin B. Dimick tweeted.

He tagged the state health department, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the White House senior advisor for the COVID response, and the director of the CDC.

Hospitals across the state have seen admissions jump recently.

Hospitalizations across the state are doubling every 12-14 days and have for three consecutive weeks.

Whitmer to provide COVID-19 update

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Friday to provide an update on the state's COVID response. 

Related: Where are the most COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan?

It is unknown if the governor will announce new restrictions. Her previous order, which allows bars and restaurants to operate at 50% with an 11 p.m. curfew, is set to expire on April 19. 

A few weeks ago, Whitmer said she didn't plan to implement new restrictions and said that vaccinations were key to curbing the pandemic. That was before cases started to surge, though. Michigan currently leads the U.S. in cases and case rate.

Maurielle Lue shares COVID experience

COVID hospitalized FOX 2's Maurielle Lue for a week.

The host of "The Nine" described the experience and shared the fear she had as she battled the virus.

"My fever started to spike, it hit 103, and then the next day, Monday, it was 104. I was home and I started to hallucinate. I knew something wasn’t right. I also felt like it was too dramatic of a step to call 911. It was not something I thought I ever would have to do. There’s a mental tennis match and then you get sick enough and you’re like ‘where’s the phone?’ So I called 911," she said.

She is urging other people her age to take COVID seriously.

Bystanders help Dearborn police in struggle with mentally ill man

Video captured bystanders jumping in to help a Dearborn police officer who was involved in a struggle with a man having a mental health issue.

The officer stopped Jaquan Murphy when he was walking in the road on Shaefer last month because he recognized him. Murphy had warrants for his arrest, and police said he has had 131 contacts with the department in the past decade.

Murphy screamed, "Kill me," numerous times during the incident. 

Once subdued, he was taken to a hospital to undergo a mental health evaluation.

What else we're watching

  1. COVID outbreaks in Michigan schools continue to rise. Officials are now monitoring more than 300 school outbreaks.
  2. GM is cutting production at several Michigan plants amid a computer chip shortage.
  3. A lawsuit is challenging Detroit’s "legacy" ordinance, which gives longtime Detroiters and those impacted by the war on drugs' preferential treatment in the application process to open marijuana businesses. 
  4. A Michigan man has been arrested after he drove to an Ohio nuclear power plant and said he had a bomb.
  5. Fermenta, an organization for women in the brewing industry, is helping members attain educations, even during the pandemic.

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Daily forecast

We'll hit the 70s again today, but the warmth comes with some rain and storms.

DMX on life support but reportedly deteriorating

Rapper DMX is still on life support, but his former manager and close friend Craig Brodhead said his condition is deteriorating.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, suffered a heart attack last weekend. Brodhead said DMX isn't expected to live past Friday.