What to know today 🌅
Georgia Senate runoff elections today
AP coverage: Georgia voters are set to decide the balance of power in Congress in a pair of high-stakes Senate runoff elections that will help determine President-elect Joe Biden’s capacity to enact what may be the most progressive governing agenda in generations.
Republicans are unified against Biden’s plans for health care, environmental protection and civil rights, but some fear that outgoing President Donald Trump’s brazen attempts to undermine the integrity of the nation’s voting systems may discourage voters in Georgia.
COVID-19 plasma shortage: Donors could win trip to Super Bowl next year
The American Red Cross is in search of COVID-19 plasma donors. The Red Cross said it is seeing a shortage of convalescent plasma, a potentially lifesaving blood product. Now, they are teaming up with the NFL to urge people -- especially anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 -- to donate their blood now. Here’s what to know.
Woman reported missing on New Year’s Day found dead
A woman who was reported missing on New Year’s Day has been found dead in a field behind a Southgate apartment complex.
The 31-year-old woman was found fatally shot Tuesday morning in a field behind the La Colonnade Apartments, which are situated along Northline Road near Fordline Street. She lived at the apartment complex. Her identity is not being shared at this time.
Whitmer vetoes bill to let 1-time DUI offenders clear record
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer refused to sign a bill that would have let one-time drunken drivers ask a judge to set aside their conviction, despite the measure’s broad bipartisan support in the Michigan Legislature.
Coronavirus in Michigan 🦠
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 502,119 over the past two days, including 12,678 deaths, state officials report.
Monday’s update includes 4,992 new cases and 80 additional deaths. On Saturday, the state reported a total of 497,127 cases and 12,598 deaths.
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 increasing to about 9% over the last few days. Hospitalizations have slowly decreased but remain relatively high, including in critical care and ventilator use.
Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 3,087 on Monday, slightly higher than the week before. The 7-day death average was 77. The state’s fatality rate is 2.5%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 126,000 on Monday.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 20.2 million cases have been reported across the country as of Jan. 2. More than 348,000 have reportedly died from the virus in the U.S.
Worldwide, more than 84 million people have been confirmed infected and more than 1.8 million have died as of Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.
Here’s a look at more of the data: