Michigan can now test for coronavirus at state lab

CDC believes case in California could be first community transmission incident

DETROIT – Vice President Mike Pence held his first meeting Thursday as head of the coronavirus task force.

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that Pence will be working with CDC, NIH and other government agencies to coordinate the response.

There are now more than 82,000 cases of cornoavirus globally and 2,800 deaths. However, there is a positive development to report in Michigan.

The U.S. total still stands at 60 cases, but it’s the most recent case that’s causing the most concern. Michigan is able to conduct testing for coronavirus at a state lab. They have not received any specimens for testing yet, but this development should speed up results. There is still the issue of who should be tested.

The CDC confirmed what may be the first case of community transmission of the virus in the U.S. It was found in a person in Northern California who hasn’t traveled internationally or had close contact with a known patient.

California health officials said the patient was not tested for coronavirus for several days while hospitalized because they didn’t fit federal criteria. Even the doctors were concerned about the possibility of coronavirus and had requested the test.

A vaccine isn’t expected to be completed for at least another year.

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About the Authors:

Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.