Morning Briefing Jan. 2, 2021: Mourning couple killed in Detroit crash, Republicans reject Trump’s demand for $2K aid checks, and how long before normal life returns in US
As the vaccine rollout continues, many people are excited that 2020 is finally in the past. While that doesn’t mean coronavirus disappeared at midnight, experts are weighing in on when it’s realistic to expect things to get back to normal.
The Senate wrapped up a rare New Year’s Day session with Republicans rejecting President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 COVID-19 aid checks and overriding his veto of a sweeping defense bill, an unusual one-two rebuke at the end of a chaotic Congress.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 488,144 as of Wednesday, including 12,333 deaths, state officials report.
Wednesday’s update includes 4,222 new cases and 51 additional deaths. The next data update is expected Jan. 2, 2021.
New COVID-19 cases are slowing but deaths remain high in Michigan. Testing has slowed during the holiday, with more than 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day, with the positive rate decreasing to near 8% over the last week. Hospitalizations have slowly decreased but remain relatively high, including in critical care and ventilator use.