LYNN SUTFIN

Michigan surpassed the 6 million vaccinated residents mark as the calendar flipped to 2022. That is where she said vaccine messaging needs to be targeted. “We have to do more, clearly.”There also continue to be disparities in vaccine rates across race and ethnic groups. Michiganders can expect to see COVID-19 vaccine messaging across various channels including TV, radio, billboards, and social media, as long as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Read more on MLive:Top doc says Michigan still in post-surge phase despite COVID trendsIs this COVID wave winding down?

In another sign of a COVID-19 wind-down, Michigan is reducing its public reporting on coronavirus statistics in Michigan from three times a week to once. The state noted on its COVID-19 dashboard Monday that it would be updating the data, starting the week of April 4, only on Wednesdays. Cases, percentages of positive tests and hospitalizations for COVID-19 peaked in January as the omicron variant spread rapidly across the state. Michigan health department staff in the epidemiology division review death certificate information and compare it with COVID-19 cases listed in the Michigan Disease Surveillance System. A death is considered a confirmed COVID-19 death if a case investigation determines COVID-19 was the cause of or contributed to the death; the death certificate indicates COVID-19 or an equivalent term as a cause of death; or the death occurred within 30 days of specimen collection for the confirmatory laboratory test and was due to natural causes.

Henry Ford Health System, based in Detroit, on Tuesday was down to its final 30 doses of monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules acting as substitute antibodies and distributed intravenously at hospitals and medical and infusion centers and sometimes, in homes. Related: ‘Very minimal’ supply of COVID-19 treatment pills arrive in MichiganCriteria for their use is actually much stricter than for monoclonal antibodies, Muma said. “This will be an adjunct or essentially an equivalent treatment to monoclonal antibodies,” Muma said. Some who are reluctant to get COVID shots are willing to receive monoclonal antibodies, Muma said.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A “very minimal” supply of home COVID-19 treatment pills have arrived in Michigan and are being distributed at pharmacies across the state, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDDHS). MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said Friday, Jan. 7 that 7,080 treatment courses of Merk’s Molnupiravir arrived in Michigan Thursday evening, and 1,600 treatment courses of Pfizer’s Paxlovid are also now in the state. The pills, which require a prescription, have been shown to reduce hospitalization and death in patients with the infectious respiratory disease. Sutfin said Molnupiravir has limited availability at all Meijer pharmacies, based on supply, as well as select retail pharmacies in areas not served by Meijer, based on supply. “Pfizer’s pill, Paxlovid, is likely to become the first-choice treatment against the virus, because of its superior benefits and milder side effects,” the news service said.

Michigan changed how it defines a school outbreak. The change could decrease the number of outbreaks reported.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that schools require masks as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state continues to...

Amid the current statewide urge of COVID-19 cases, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services continues to preach the safety that masks provide in high-risk sports settings. “In Michigan, there is no statewide requirement to wear a face mask in most settings,” Sutfin wrote. MHSAA communications director Geoff Kimmerly added that teams traveling to venues or schools with mask mandates must abide by those rules. “MDHHS encourages all eligible Michiganders to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are able,” Sutfin wrote. To locate a vaccine, visit VaccineFinder.org.”Sutfin also said coronavirus testing resources continue to be available to schools if they choose to use them.

LANSING, MI -- Michigan health officials are reporting 83 COVID-19 cases linked to the 2021 Faster Horses Festival. Of those affected, 74 are primary cases, which means the person attended the festival July 16-18 at Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn and was infected there. Those with the primary cases range in age from 16 to 59 years old, with a median age of 24. The age range of 9 to 59 years old previously reported on July 30 included both primary and secondary cases. “We continue to encourage Michiganders to get vaccinated with the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are able.

LANSING MI -- COVID-19 cases connected to the 2021 Faster Horses Festival continue to rise, just as Michigan health officials predicted. Currently 51 cases have been linked to the July 16-18 festival at Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Those infected in connection to the country music festival range from 9 to 59 years old, with a median age of 24. Cases were predicted to rise in a July 27 comment from MDHHS Public Information Officer Lynn Sutfin. According to the CDC tracker, 63.4% of Michiganders age 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of July 29.

LANSING, MI -- COVID-19 cases linked to Michigan’s Faster Horses Music festival are on the rise and likely will continue to climb, Michigan health officials said. And cases may continue to rise, said Lynn Sutfin, MDHHS public information officer. On July 24, MDHHS announced an initial 17 cases linked to the festival, adding that attendees may have been exposed to the virus. Michigan reports 899,921 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic, as well as 19,883 deaths related to the virus as of July 23. Then, a ‘freak accident’ claimed their lives at Faster Horses.

The state recently sent some excess Johnson & Johnson doses to Minnesota, Sutfin noted. As of Friday, July 9, Michigan has administered more than 9 million doses of the three available vaccines. She pointed out that Johnson & Johnson had already extended its shot’s shelf life six weeks. Additionally, vial sizes changed at some point, causing a mismatch between the official number of doses distributed and the actual number of doses administered. Vaccines are widely available in Michigan and health officials standby their safety and effectiveness at preventing serious illness from coronavirus.

Lost your COVID-19 vaccination card? Wayne County, others will provide you with another one.

With essentially 500,000 more people eligible for vaccines, Michigan could change benchmarks tied to easing pandemic restrictions.

Michigan's 70% COVID vaccination goal is based on the availability of vaccines and the age groups eligible to receive them, the health department said.

Or maybe you live in Michigan along the state border and get your vaccination in Ohio, Indiana or Wisconsin. Or perhaps you’re a Michigan resident attending college out of state and got your shots there. Are you counted among Michigan’s vaccination numbers? Taking the time to do that isn’t just about improving Michigan’s vaccination numbers. If a Michigan resident obtains a vaccine within Michigan, the entity administering the shot should be providing that information to MICR, Sutfin said.

More than 3.9 million Michigan residents have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine — more than 48% of the state’s 16 years and older population. In each case, the provider is required to input details including the date, dosage and specific vaccine type into the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), the state’s centralized vaccine database. Michigan does have agreements with some of the surrounding states, Sutfin said, that they will report vaccinations of Michigan residents to MDHHS to be input into the registry. “We already support and report state registry data, and have been able to meet additional reporting requirements,” reads a statement from Walgreens. In Kent County, Health Officer Adam London said he hasn’t heard of any significant breakdowns in reporting to the state’s registry.

There are 246 fully-vaccinated Michiganders that tested positive for COVID-19, as well as three that died according to numbers from the state health department. These cases account for just .01% of the 1.7 million Michigan residents that received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of March 30. These “fully vaccinated” cases came from people that tested positive 14 days after receiving their second dose, which is the timeline set by the CDC to determine if someone is fully vaccinated. These 246 cases are under review as MDHHS determines if they are considered “breakthrough” cases by CDC criteria, Sutfin said. As of Sunday, April 4, there are about 1.83 million Michigan residents with at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A joint letter to Havenwyck/Mercy and Pine Rest was issued by MDHHS about its decision on March 29. The Certificate of Need program was developed to ensure only “needed” health services and expansions occur in Michigan. Sutfin said Pine Rest has 15 days to request an appeal of the initial denial. The company operates Forest View Psychiatric Hospital, a 108-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital in Grand Rapids Township. State documents show Pine Rest has 162 in-patient adult psychiatric beds, 36 in-patient child psychiatric beds, and 40 temporary adult beds.

BUENA VISTA, MI - Wolverine Health Services “strongly” disagrees with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation to revoke its license to operate its Buena Vista Township juvenile detention facility, according to a statement from its CEO. MDHHS’ recommendation is based on an investigation that “substantiated physical abuse and safety-related licensing violations” at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center in Buena Vista Township, spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said in a previous report. “We strongly disagree with the state’s effort to revoke the license at our secure treatment center, and we plan to appeal this decision to prevent major disruption to the lives of the many young people and families we serve,” Wollack said in the statement. The Buena Vista Township site is a 100-bed treatment facility for boys and girls, aged 12 to 19, from the child welfare system and MDHHS. Read more:State recommends revoking operating license for Wolverine juvenile facility in Saginaw CountySuicide at secure youth detention center in Saginaw County investigatedWolverine Human Services on housing refugee teens in Vassar: ‘We can’t make everyone happy’

UPDATE 3/23: Wolverine Human Services CEO Judith Fischer Wollack provided a statement to MLive “strongly” disagreeing with the state’s decision. BUENA VISTA, MI - Wolverine Secure Treatment Center, a Saginaw County juvenile corrections facility, is appealing a decision by the state government to revoke its operating license. The license is not fully revoked until all appeals are exhausted or the timeframe to file one has lapsed, Sutfin said. “We received notice that DHHS has decided to revoke the license at WSTC and we are appealing this now,” the announcement reads. Read more:Suicide at secure youth detention center in Saginaw County investigatedWolverine Human Services on housing refugee teens in Vassar: ‘We can’t make everyone happy’Department of Human Services report: Three fired from Wolverine Human Services in threats, incidents against juvenile residents

Gilchrist, chair of the COVID-19 Task Force on Racial Disparities, said “there’s a lot of work to do” toward racial equity in vaccination in Michigan and nationwide. While some Republican state lawmakers have argued the index unfairly prioritizes vaccine administration in Detroit over Northern Michigan, state statistics indicate the opposite trend. “Providing complete and accurate data about COVID-19 vaccinations in Michigan is high priority for MDHHS,” Sutfin said in a statement. “We urge Michiganders to fill out race data questions on forms when they get their vaccine,” said Khaldun in a Feb. 23 statement. “We’ve worked during this pandemic to show the state of Michigan is responsive to racial disparities.

The state will receive little, if any, Johnson & Johnson doses, according to Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services. Related: Michigan vaccine expansion an exciting surprise to health departmentsRingler-Cerniglia has heard the talk of dose allotments ramping up in the coming weeks. The state has administered more than 3.14 million total doses, including 1.65 million of the Pfizer vaccine, 1.47 million of the Moderna vaccine, and 24,474 of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. will have enough vaccine doses for every American adult by the end of May. Last week, his administration announced plans to purchase another 100 million Johnson & Johnson doses -- the lone one-dose shot available to Americans.

Michigan will be getting 82,700 doses this week of the new COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan will be getting almost a half-million COVID-19 vaccine doses this weekThe J&J vaccine was granted emergency use authorization Saturday, Feb. 27, by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Because the J&J vaccine is only one dose, that process is shortened. The Pfizer vaccine is especially fragile: It must be stored and shipped between -112 to -76 degrees, requiring dry ice and special freezers. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses viral vector technology.

Smoking lounges are not legally allowed to be open for consumption, the state health department said in a memo this week to Michigan’s 225 cigar bars and tobacco specialty retail shops. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services sent the memo after getting questions about whether smoking is an allowable exception to the mask mandate. While masks can be removed when eating and drinking at a restaurant, smoking is not a listed exception, MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said. “The (MDHHS) director’s order is clear that there is no exemption for mask removal for the purpose of smoking,” the memo says. Smoking shouldn’t have been allowed at any of these businesses for the past 10 months since the mask mandate began, Sutfin said, citing the order.

That’s 20% of Michigan’s supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses. By comparison, 1,973,585 vaccine doses had been shipped to other Michigan health-care providers as of Monday, Feb. 22, and 1,682,856 doses -- 85% -- were administered. Michigan health-care providers say they are aware of the unused doses in the long-term care program, but they don’t have access to them. “The reality is those allocations going to long-term care program are not coming from the state; they’re coming directly from the federal government.”The state did pull 30,000 doses from the long-term care program stockpile a few weeks ago and transferred those doses to other providers, MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said. That doesn’t include another 1,484 deaths linked to other long-term care facilities, such as assisted-living sites for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

COVID-19 vaccines have been touted as a means to the end of the more than 11-month global pandemic, but getting vaccinated doesn’t mean you’re completely immune to the virus. In Oregon, four people recently tested positive for the coronavirus at least 14 days after receiving both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The MMR vaccine, for example, is 97% effective against measles and 88% effective against mumps after two doses. Even if an individual wasn’t exposed to the virus until more than 14 days after receiving their second dose, they could still be infected. As of Monday, Michigan had administered 1,634,609 doses of vaccine.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Mercy Health Saint Mary’s is hoping a series of “pop-up” COVID-19 vaccination clinics targeting communities of color will help reduce significant disparities in who has access to the drug. During an online press conference Wednesday, hospital officials said they have administered about 22,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. “It’s a huge priority,” said Dr. Andrew Jameson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mercy Health. Equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine has been a topic of significant conversation amid the coronavirus pandemic. She said she expects Michigan’s vaccination rate will be similar to that of other states once it’s released.

LANSING, Mich. – Friday brought even more confusion for Michiganders attempting to schedule a coronavirus vaccination appointment -- particularly over the phone. Original Story: Michigan health director says to call 211 for vaccine appointments, but callers say it’s not workingMultiple viewers said they called in and were unable to get through. One viewer said 211 gave them a recorded message that 211 was not scheduling vaccinations and another said the phone rang for 25 minutes with no answer. Michigan senior residents have been struggling to receive their vaccines. People 60-years-old and older account for 24% of the confirmed cases in Michigan but are 90% of the confirmed deaths.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is strategizing on how to make sure every resident is vaccinated quickly. Johnson & Johnson asked U.S. regulators Thursday for emergency approval of its vaccine -- the world’s first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, an easier-to-use option that could boost scarce supplies. If approved, there would be a third vaccine option and more doses available to residents. Please be patient as we work with local health departments and hospital systems to deliver tje vaccine to every community in the state. Lynn Sutfin, MDHHS Public Information OfficerREAD: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services sent the University of Michigan a memorandum Saturday that led to the university pausing all athletics for up to 14 days. However, the MDHHS’ memo to the university was a recommended strategy in responding to the virus outbreak, not an order, according to MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin. All Michigan student-athletes, coaches and team staff must quarantine from “Jan. Michigan spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald and Michigan athletics spokesperson Kurt Svoboda were not immediately available for comment. As of Monday afternoon, there at least 13 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 variant in Washtenaw County, according to MDHHS.

A Washtenaw County woman was diagnosed with the variant known as B.1.1.7 over the weekend, MDHHS confirmed. Gretchen Whitmer indicated she’s keeping a close eye on the situation, saying it heightens the urgency around the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program. “The good news is that the testing capability we have does test for that variant and the vaccine appears to work for that variant,” she said. “But with a relatively low percentage of our population vaccinated today,” there is concern the variant will spike the number of COVID-19 cases -- and hospitalizations, she said. One silver lining of the variant, Nefcy said: It could encourage vaccine-hesitant people to change their minds.

That will give the program more than, 300,000 vaccine doses, MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said, an indication that the long-term care vaccination is program a top priority. “Almost 40% of the (COVID-19) deaths have been in long-term care. The long-term care vaccination program is being carried out through a partnership between the federal government and CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Michigan’s long-term care facilities“I know how desperate some of our people are to get the vaccine,” she said. Still while many long-term care residents are anxious to be vaccinated, many employees of the facilities are much more hesitant, Samuel acknowledged.

The initial report provides some positive news in the form of negative coronavirus test results. So far, the MDHHS reports that 99.6 percent of all coronavirus tests conducted among high school athletes since testing began on Dec. 30 have come back negative. Seeing 99.6 percent of athletes tests come back negative has only given the MHSAA more to be encouraged about moving forward. Any player who is played after testing positive would be considered an ineligible player, meaning the team would have to forfeit the game. So far, no swim teams have reported opt outs due to a positive coronavirus test ahead of this weekend’s state finals.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, health officials have provided near-daily updates of new confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. As of Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Department of Health and Human Services has tracked 42,232 probable cases -- 740 more than the day prior. A coronavirus case isn’t confirmed until an individual has a PCR test come back positive for COVID-19. Probable cases can be changed to confirmed cases, MDHHS, upon processing of a positive PCR test. National data, as well as data from some states, combine confirmed cases and deaths with probable ones, while others like Michigan report them separately.

Only Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Kansas have lower per-capita vaccination rates, the CDC data shows. “I’m surprised by that,” said Dr. Rosalie Tocco-Bradley, chief clinical officer for Trinity Health Michigan. “So there are doses that have been administered appropriately by Michigan providers who had not fully completed enrollment in the federal COVID-19 program. MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said that Michigan’s seemingly slow rollout of the vaccination program are reflected across the country. The need for preciseness in scheduling clinics because of the scarcity of the vaccine doses while realizing the Pfizer vaccine must be used within six hours of being reconstituted.

In the first three weeks of availability, 128,390 Michiganders have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the state health department announced Monday, Jan. 4. Of the vaccines administered through Sunday, 103,940 were done so in hospitals and 16,559 were done through local health departments. The majority of doses administered to date have been the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine (100,313), compared to 28,077 of the Moderna vaccine. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses spaced weeks apart, with 95% and 94% efficacy in trials, respectively. A second dose is required three weeks later for the Pfizer vaccine, and four weeks later for the Moderna shot.

About 91,000 staff and residents are eligible for this round of the program, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources. Vaccinations for staff and residents in other long-term care facilities should begin “in the next couple weeks,” Sutfin said. Those facilities include assisted living, personal care homes, residential care, adult family home, adult foster home, HUD supportive housing for the elderly and veterans’ homes. In all, residents and staff of long-term care facilities comprise 39% of all Michigan deaths from coronavirus. The program for long-term care facilities is using the Moderna vaccine, and participants will require a second dose three weeks after their first shot.

Michigan is getting less than half the COVID-19 vaccine doses it anticipated this week, the result of “miscommunication” from federal officials about vaccine shipments. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services received 84,825 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine last week, and anticipated another 84,000 this week as well as 173,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine just approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Instead, state officials have been told to expect 60,450 doses each of the Pfizer and Moderna immunizations, according to Lynn Sutfin, a MDHHS spokeswoman. WhitmerWhitmer said the federal government is “slow-walking,” getting shipping addresses to Pfizer while millions of doses of the vaccine wait in warehouses. Read more on MLive:COVID-19 brings shortage of respiratory therapists, and the job itself, into the spotlightHow does the coronavirus vaccine work?

LANSING — Michigan expects to receive about 257,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines initially if the federal government authorizes them for emergency use this month, enough to immunize roughly 128,000 residents, a top doctor said Thursday. The priority remains frontline health care workers and people living and working in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive. Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to pass judgment on another vaccine, developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The federal government estimates Michigan will get approximately 84,000 doses from Pfizer and 173,000 doses from Moderna in their first shipments, Khaldun said. Hospitalizations have dropped in six of the state's eight health care regions in the past week, Khaldun said.

Starting Monday, Nov. 2, restaurants and bars in Michigan were required to get contact information for all customers thanks to an order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The state clarified the order on Tuesday, saying contact tracing is still required, but restaurants and bars are only recommended to deny service to customers who don’t comply – not required to. The requirement to deny entry still stands for other types of businesses required to do contact tracing, including personal services like barbershops, entertainment facilities like movie theaters and places of public amusement like arcades. Those businesses have been required to collect contact information of customers for months and it hasn’t been an issue, MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said. While restaurants aren’t required to deny service to people who don’t share information, the restaurants are required to ask.

“They would never have to pay a bill at those sites.”As new coronavirus cases continue to surge in Michigan, testing continues to climb. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires insurance companies to cover “medically necessary” COVID-19 testing, though what’s deemed “necessary” varies by insurer, Sutfin said. The MDHHS website has an online test finder to assist residents in finding a test site nearest them. The company will bill your insurance for the coronavirus test, but if you don’t have insurance it will use “public funding” to cover the cost. Insured consumers who pay up front or receive a bill for COVID-19 testing should contact their insurance company for assistance, according to the state.

As of early October, the state health department reported 506,234 flu doses being administered this flu season. The high dose flu vaccine and adjuvanted flu vaccine have reportedly resulted in fewer influenza cases and significantly higher immune responses than the standard vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Companies that manufacture the high dose flu vaccines are seeing heightened demand across the country, according to data provided by MDHHS. Michigan health officials are worried about the potential strain that a bad flu season, combined with COVID-19, could have on the state’s health care system. Michigan’s statewide “Facing the Flu Together” campaign aims to get at least 4.2 million residents to get this year’s flu vaccine.

After the executive orders were invalidated Oct. 2 by the state Supreme Court, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services revived some of the orders as emergency epidemic orders. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders were immediately struck down by their ruling – instead three or four weeks later like Whitmer said – the MDHHS orders are the new law of the land. “As we work with the governor, we will assess whether to extend or change the orders,” MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said in an email. Many of the executive orders are unaddressed by the MDHHS orders. More MDHHS orders could be coming in the coming days, Sutfin said.

DETROIT As we head into a holiday weekend, experts are concerned about the possibility of a coronavirus (COVID-19) resurgence in Michigan. On Thursday, the state reported the highest number of cases in more than a month. All week traffic has increased going north for the 4th of July weekend. Lynn Sutfin with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said more young people are suddenly coming down with the virus. READ: Michigan bars navigate changing rules, can now offer alcohol to-goNew numbers show that the west side of the state has become a hot spot.

It's taking a few days to put the details into place, but the State of Michigan is starting to provide data about COVID-19 coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities. It's taking a few days to put the details into place, but the State of Michigan is starting to provide data about COVID-19 coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities. The steps are meant "to help prevent COVID-19 infections and contain the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities," Lynn Sutfin, public information officer for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said. A detail to remember with this report is that the long-term care data is for currently active cases. Sutfin said the plan is to have long-term care numbers updated every weekday afternoon.

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan health officials said an Oakland County resident is being tested for coronavirus after traveling to China within the last two weeks. The resident is being hospitalized at an undisclosed location, officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said. “We have a new person under investigation for the 2019 novel coronavirus," said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the state health department. "They are from Oakland County. In the U.S., health officials say at least 12 people have tested positive, and results are pending on dozens more, including four passengers on a cruise ship docked in New Jersey on Friday morning.

DETROIT - Local 4 spoke with an expert from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services about mosquito-borne EEE, an illness that has killed four Michigan residents this year. MDHHS officials began aerial spraying to combat the illness Monday, and the spraying has continued throughout the week. "We are seeing cases -- we have one in Livingston County even, now, which is very unusual for this state. We have taken this act to protect the health and safety of Michigan residents. Typically, when we start seeing these EEE cases, the first cases we see are in animals and horses, which is what happened again this year.

DETROIT Local 4 spoke with an expert from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services about mosquito-borne EEE, an illness that has killed four Michigan residents this year. MDHHS officials began aerial spraying to combat the illness Monday, and the spraying has continued throughout the week. "We are seeing cases -- we have one in Livingston County even, now, which is very unusual for this state. We have taken this act to protect the health and safety of Michigan residents. Typically, when we start seeing these EEE cases, the first cases we see are in animals and horses, which is what happened again this year.