UPDATE: Governor Whitmer COVID-19 Daily Update April 9

Michigan Executive Office of the Governor sent this bulletin at 04/09/2021 06:30 AM EDT

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VACCINE UPDATE  

 

  • The state of Michigan has administered 4,992,781 total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 85,233 doses administered on April 7. Every COVID-19 vaccine allocated to Michigan has either been administered or is scheduled to be administered via appointment.

 

To view the total distribution of vaccines and more vaccine information, visit www.michigan.gov/covidvaccine to view the COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard.     

 

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ICYMI 

 

  • Yesterday, Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 4126, which amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to change the allocation of fees collected for pheasant hunting licenses.  

“Michiganders’ way of life and the strength of our economy depends on preserving our natural resources,” said Governor Whitmer. “This bill will improve how we allocate resources from pheasant hunting licenses, which will support businesses that sell hunting licenses, protect our wildlife from poachers, and improve the Department of Natural Resources. I am proud to sign this bipartisan piece of legislation into law and support Michigan’s natural resources.”  

  • MDHHS announced 7,819 cases of COVID-19 from yesterday. This brings the total number of positive cases of COVID-19 to 723,297.    

 

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HAPPENING ACROSS STATE GOVERNMENT 

 

  • Since shortly after the first positive COVID-19 test was diagnosed at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Bureau of Laboratories (BOL) on March 10, 2020, BOL scientists have been busy genome sequencing the virus to identify variants. More than 10,000 samples have been sequenced by BOL staff to date with over 4,200 of those tests completed in 2021.

"Our lab is a national leader in genome sequencing and our efforts have allowed us to implement rapid public health responses to slow the spread of outbreaks involving more easily transmitted variants," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. "We will continue to work to identify these variants in Michigan as an important tool in fighting this pandemic back in Michigan."

  • With all Michiganders eligible to receive one of the three safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is continuing its efforts to equitability distribute and increase vaccine accessibility. This now includes vaccine allocation to universities and colleges and expanded mobile sites in communities across the state.

The effort to increase university allocations is intended to vaccinate students before they return home for the summer. Nearly 16,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses are being shipped to local health departments associated with participating colleges and universities across the state.  

"Vaccinating this group of the population right now makes a lot of sense as thousands of college and university students near the end of their academic year and are preparing to travel back home, start new jobs, take summer vacations, and interact with their family and friends,” said Northern Michigan University president Fritz Erickson. “We appreciate this initiative by the state to keep college students safe. This effort will protect not only the age group that is now seeing a higher rate of infection than before, but it protects communities and families across the state from spread of the virus due to the mass movement of college students that takes place over the next few weeks."  

  • Working families and individuals with household resources of $50,000 or less a year may be eligible for a Homestead Property Tax Credit, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. 

Michigan's Homestead Property Tax Credit can help taxpayers if they are a qualified homeowner or renter and meet certain requirements. For most people, the tax credit is based on a comparison between property taxes and total household income, with homeowners paying property taxes directly and renters paying them indirectly with their rent. 

"Homestead Property Tax Credits provide tax relief for Michigan's working families and individuals," said Deputy State Treasurer Glenn White, head of Treasury's Revenue Services programs. "These tax credits can reduce tax owed and may provide a refund." 

MEDIA COVERAGE 

 

A BIT OF RELIEF 

 

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  • COVID-19 Hotline 1-888-535-6136