According to the NY Times Covid-19 tracker. of the 15 communities in the U.S. with the highest number of cases per 100,000 in population, 13 are from Michigan. Goveror Whitmer must be totally frustrated as Michigan has historically been one of the most restrictive states in the union and yet here we are. Only time will tell the cause for this recent surge, but if the numbers continue on the current trend, in a very short time, we will be exceeding the November/December surge. Inspite of hospitalizations also being up, deaths are only 25-30 percent of what they were in April of 2020 and November/December 2020. The lower death rate can be directly attributable to the aged population already receiving at least one dose of vaccine and the average age of the patients infected being significantly younger than the age of the patients in the first and second wave.
Michigan Medicine announced today that they are putting a hold on all elective surgeries due to the increased surge of Covid-19 patients. Per the Detroit News, Dr. Justin Dimick, chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan, tweeted the Ann Arbor-based health system was canceling surgeries due to the intake of COVID-19 patients. He noted there had been no recently imposed restrictions to combat the spread of the virus and pleaded for help from Whitmer, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt. “We are starting to cancel surgical cases again to accommodate rapidly accelerating Covid-19 admissions. Entire state is high-risk,” Dimick tweeted. Also on Thursday, the Warren-based Ascension Michigan health system said it was delaying certain non-essential elective surgeries on a case-by-case basis, and Henry Ford Health System in Detroit said it was limiting surgeries. Like I said, Whitmer is caught between the rock and the hard place. The healthcare industry is pleading for relief and the Republican led legislature and the small businesses are asking for Whitmer to continue her recent less restrictive policies.
Across the river from Detroit, the Ontario government is considering implementing a 2-4 week stay at home order for the major metropolitan areas of Ontario which includes Toronto. Nothing official has been announced, but Ontario is getting hit hard with this most recent surge. During separate news conferences on Tuesday, both Premier Doug Ford and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams indicated all options are “on the table.” It doesn’t look like my friends who have property in Canada are going to be able to visit their property any time soon. Sorry about that Dan and Frank.
The dysfunction in Lansing continues. I couldn’t say it better than Nolan Finley. Here is an excerpt from Nolan Finley’s editorial today. ‘Spending other people’s money is the one thing politicians can usually agree on. But the governing dysfunction is so great in Michigan that our political leaders can’t even come together to spend billions of dollars showered on the state by the federal government. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican-led state Legislature are still stubbornly dug in on allocating $2 billion in COVID-19 relief money that arrived from Washington in December. Another $5.6 billion is on its way to Lansing from the package Congress just approved. It likely faces the same fate when it arrives.” I cannot in my wildest dreams figure out how our politician who supposedly have the best interest of the citizens of this state in mind cannot come up with a way to spend this money that meets the many needs of the state. Did we elect children to our state government? I am sorry I offended the children like that.
Now mor than ever, stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Wear your mask properly. Social distance. Schedule your vaccine.
Quote of the Day: “When you have an inferno going on somewhere, you have to turn the hoses there. You have to continue doing the whole province, but we’re really focusing on the hot areas.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Orchid of the Day: The Ann Arbor Huron River Rats boys basketball team for their semi-final victory today against Warren De Lasalle in the MHSAA Division I basketball championship. Good luck in the finals on Saturday. It will be coach Walleed Samaha’s second time taking the River Rats to the finals.
Onion of the Day: The former CEO of a religious charity serving the poor and homeless is accused of stealing more than $240,000, money that bankrolled everything from shopping sprees and vacations at resorts in Florida and Northern Michigan to a new roof on his home. John Lynch, 56, of Grosse Pointe Park is accused of stealing from the federally funded Holy Cross organization in Clinton from 2014-17, according to a 28-page complaint unsealed in federal court.