WAYNE, Mich. – The Beaumont Hospital in Wayne is restricting patient visitation to help prevent the spread of coronavirus as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise throughout Michigan. COVID patients will be allowed visitors if they are nearing the end of life. The Beaumont Hospital in Wayne is the latest of the Beaumont hospitals to issue visitation restrictions as coronavirus spread increases across Michigan. A number of other medical centers have also recently ramped up visitation restrictions as COVID-19 cases climb throughout Michigan. On Wednesday, the state reported 4,273 new COVID-19 cases and 73 new deaths in Michigan since Tuesday.

A new study finds that some “long-hauler” COVID-19 patients may experience prolonged skin symptoms, with one patient reporting “COVID toes” for as long as 150 days. “COVID toes,” are red, sore and sometimes itchy swellings on toes that look like chilblains, something doctors normally see on the feet and hands of people who’ve spent a long time outdoors in the cold. “In particular, we saw that with chilblains, also known as COVID toes, where they’ve been having skin symptoms for more than 60 days.”According to TODAY’s report, one patient reported “COVID toes” for over 130 days and another reported it for more than 150 days. Other skin symptoms include hives, lasting about five days, and scaly papule and plaques lasting for about 20 days. Freeman said about 16% of patients with “COVID toes” were hospitalized.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Michigan Medicine is asking COVID-19 survivors and patients to donate blood for new research projects at the University of Michigan and beyond. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are asked to donate blood, tissues and other biological samples, like nasal swabs, to the University of Michigans COVID-19 Biorepository -- a library of COVID-19 related donated samples. U-M scientists will use the samples to further student the coronavirus, its effects and possible preventative measures and treatments. Over 17,000 samples from 800 COVID-19 patients at Michigan Medicine have already been donated but the healthcare system is now asking for samples from non-Michigan Medicine patients. Participants must be willing to donate six teaspoons of blood, be 18-years-old or older and currently have or have recovered from COVID-19.

Beaumont Health announced Sunday that the health system is caring for 1,074 confirmed COVID-19 patients throughout the state of Michigan, as the state’s coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly evolves. In the announcement, Beaumont Health CEO John Fox urges the Michigan government to require health systems to be more transparent with the public and to share more complete data. “Some other health systems in our region are also seeing large numbers of COVID-19 patients. That said, we all must acknowledge all the frontline health care workers treating COVID-19 patients throughout Michigan and beyond. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily.