Morning Briefing May 7, 2021: Shelby Township couple dead in apparent murder-suicide, U-M disease expert weighs in on likelihood of reaching herd immunity

Here are this morning’s top stories

(Nick Monacelli, Copyright 2021 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.)

Couple dead in apparent murder-suicide in Shelby Township

A man and a woman have died in what appears to be a murder-suicide in Shelby Township late Thursday night.

Sometime around midnight Thursday, an 86-year-old man reportedly shot his wife, 67, at their home on Marian Drive near 24 Mile and Schoenherr roads, sources say.

See the story here.


2-year-old boy missing, taken on Detroit’s west side

Police are looking for a missing 2-year-old boy who was reportedly taken from his home on Detroit’s west side.

Learn more here.


U-M disease expert answers: Can US reach herd immunity?

Since the first cases of COVID-19 began to spread around the country, the term herd immunity has been used to describe the best-case scenario to overcome the pandemic.

But with vaccine rates slowing down, the opportunity to attain widespread immunity from the virus slips further away.

Research assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Abram Wagner, explained recently that herd immunity may be more complex than we thought and what roles vaccine availability and hesitancy play in achieving the nationwide goal.

See what else Wagner had to say here.


LIVE BLOG: Tracking COVID-19 vaccines in Michigan: New openings, clinics, appointments 💉


Police shut down Lodge Freeway after gunshot from speeding vehicle hits man’s car

Police shut down the Lodge Freeway overnight in Detroit after a driver saw two speeding vehicles and noticed his window had been struck by gunfire, officials said.

Read the report here.


Rochester school district accused of targeting parents fighting for in-person learning

Rochester Community Schools and its school board president are already named in a federal lawsuit accusing them of costing a parent her job because she criticized board policies on a return to face-to-face instruction.

The district denies the allegations in that lawsuit. Since Local 4′s report on Monday, other parents have reached out detailing their experiences with the board and administration.

See the full story here.


US employers added just 266K jobs in April as hiring slows

America’s employers added just 266,000 jobs last month, sharply lower than in March and a sign that some businesses are struggling to find enough workers as the economic recovery strengthens.

With viral cases declining and states and localities easing restrictions, businesses have added jobs for four straight months, the Labor Department said Friday. Still, the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.1% from 6% in March.

Read more here.


Weather: Rainy start to Mother’s Day weekend


COVID in Michigan 💉

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 858,050 as of Thursday, including 18,054 deaths, state officials report.

Thursday’s update includes a total of 3,514 new cases and 115 additional deaths, including 92 deaths identified during a review of records. On Wednesday, Michigan reported a total of 854,536 cases and 17,939 deaths.

Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate just below 10% as of Thursday, lower than one week ago. Hospitalizations have dropped slightly over the last week.

Overall, new cases have slowed over the last 14 days. The state’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 2,934 on Thursday -- lower than one week ago. The 7-day death average was 73 on Thursday, slightly higher than the last two weeks. The state’s fatality rate is 2.1%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 179,400 on Thursday.

More than 660,000 have recovered from the virus in Michigan.

Michigan has reported more than 7.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Thursday, May 6, with 51.2% of eligible residents having received at least one dose while 40.7% of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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About the Author

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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