March 25, 2021
Bi-Weekly County Executive Newsletter
Dear Friends,
It’s easy to get excited about what looks like the subsiding of the coronavirus pandemic.
More and more people are getting vaccinated, deaths are declining, school buses are running their routes and delivering kids into classrooms and businesses are slowly but surely getting back to normal.
It’s even getting warmer outside, so outdoor dining and nightly strolls are just around the corner.
Those faint strains of optimism began to grow even louder when Congress recently put the final touches on a federal rescue package that will bring direct assistance to individuals and families, including $244 million in federal funding for Oakland County and additional direct assistance to each local community. These funds will help us emerge from the economic difficulties caused by COVID-19.
This money could be transformational for us and the county’s communities. We are in the early stages of developing a plan for how we will use that money. But a few things are clear: we need to continue to support the immediate needs of ending the pandemic through our testing and vaccination sites. And we must continue to provide assistance to businesses that have been particularly hard hit by the shutdowns caused by the virus.
While I’m hopeful that the end is in sight, there are some troubling signs that we can’t ignore. The number of coronavirus cases has been on a steady rise for the past few weeks both across Michigan and in Oakland County. We hit the highest number of new cases in the state and the county last week since early January. And a highly contagious COVID-19 variant also has emerged in the county.
That’s alarming and proof that we need to stay vigilant for a bit longer. So even though there is light at the end of the tunnel because of the vaccine, the tunnel is still very dangerous. And it is still very important that we continue to do the things that we're all tired of doing.
These next 30 to 40 days are going to be critical in terms of whether we can get this latest spike in infections down as we get closer to that critical goal of a 70% vaccination rate for the county’s more than 1 million eligible adults.
So we need to keep masking up, washing our hands and staying six-feet apart when out in public to help end this latest surge in coronavirus cases. And PLEASE, if you haven’t already, sign up for you vaccination on the county’s Save Your Spot list, as well as vaccination lists offered by your health care providers and pharmacies. Get the vaccine as soon as it’s made available to you.
Because the sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can return to normal.
Warmest regards,
Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive
COVID-19 Vaccine By the Numbers
- Oakland County COVID-19 cases: 69,509
- Oakland County COVID-19 deaths: 1,612
- Number of Oakland people with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine: 310,684
- Percent of Oakland seniors vaccinated: 66%
- Total doses distributed by all providers in Oakland: 480,466
- Number of vaccine clinics operated by Oakland this week: 16
Oakland County investing in radio system enhancements
Oakland County is investing $4.5 million to enhance the radio systems for first responders, adding more radios to the system and installing GPS capability to the radios that will make it easier to map their locations.
The enhancements are coming as part of a replacement of the county’s 16-year-old radio system, which will become fully operational in 2022.
Coulter proposes sustainability plan for county
With a goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Oakland County Executive David Coulter presented his sustainability proposal to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
As part of that goal, Oakland County has contracted with AECOM to develop the sustainability. Coulter also is looking to hire a chief sustainability officer to oversee the creation and implementation of a sustainability plan. The full board is expected to vote on the proposals on Thursday, March 25.
Severe Weather Awareness Week
Oakland County will observe Severe Weather Awareness Week March 21-27 which is an opportunity to review emergency plans and learn more about severe weather threats in Michigan.
“Spring is traditionally a period where the threat of high winds, hail, lightning, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms is higher,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said. “Severe Weather Awareness Week is a reminder to residents, schools, businesses, and other organizations to review their emergency procedures and prepare for weather-related hazards.”
Oakland County’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department Emergency web page and social media provide information about severe weather threats, including developing a family emergency plan, tornados, downed power lines, floods, fires and more.
For more resources on how to prepare a plan or your home for a weather emergency, go to www.oakgov.com/emergency-management.
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