Pfizer COVID-19 shot expanded to US children as young as 12
U.S. regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12, offering a way to protect the nation’s adolescents before they head back to school in the fall and paving the way for them to return to more normal activities.
Shots could begin as soon as Thursday, after a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. An announcement is expected Wednesday.
Interview: Detroit police chief talks retirement, experience, next steps
Chief James Craig announced his retirement from the Detroit Police Department on Monday, calling it a “bittersweet” moment after serving in the role for the last eight years. He says the decision to retire is voluntary, and that his last day will be on June 1 -- which will mark 44 years in law enforcement.
Rumors began circulating about Craig’s retirement at the end of last week, alongside rumors that he is considering a future in politics.
See what Craig had to say about all of it here.
Michigan reaches first of state’s vaccine milestones -- in-person work can resume in 2 weeks
Michigan has reached the first of the state’s vaccination milestones, meaning in-person work will be allowed to resume in two weeks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced.
As of Monday, 55% of Michiganders have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Whitmer said. That’s the first of four vaccine-based reopening thresholds the state established late last month.
LIVE BLOG: Tracking COVID-19 vaccines in Michigan: New openings, clinics, appointments 💉
US schools fight to keep students amid fear of dropout surge
There isn’t data available yet on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the nation’s overall dropout rate -- 2019 is the last year for which it is available -- and many school officials say it’s too early to know how many students who stopped logging on for distance learning don’t plan to return.
But soaring numbers of students who are failing classes or are chronically absent have experts fearing the worst, and schools have been busy tracking down wayward seniors through social media, knocking on their doors, assigning staff to help them make up for lost time and, in some cases, even relaxing graduation requirements.
Men who chased, killed Ahmaud Arbery due in federal court
Three Georgia men were scheduled to appear before a federal judge Tuesday on federal hate crime charges in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and shot after being spotted running in the defendants’ neighborhood.
Greg McMichael and his adult son, Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after he ran past their home on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times at close range with a shotgun.
Arraignments before U.S. Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheesbro were set for Tuesday afternoon as federal prosecutors moved ahead with their case, even with state murder charges still pending against the same defendants.
Weather: Chilly Tuesday, then back to the good stuff
COVID in Michigan 💉
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 865,349 as of Monday, including 18,239 deaths, state officials report.
Monday’s update includes a total of 2,716 new cases and 33 additional deaths over the past two days. On Saturday, Michigan reported a total of 862,633 cases and 18,206 deaths.
Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate just below 9% as of Monday, 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 2,276 on Monday and has been consistently declining over the last two weeks. The 7-day death average was 60 on Monday, 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 143,400 on Monday.
More than 703,000 have recovered from the virus in Michigan.
Michigan has reported more than 7.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Monday, May 10, with 52.1% of eligible residents having received at least one dose while 42.7% of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.
Here’s a look at more of the data: