Officials wrote it is unlikely that COVID-19-positive employees were in close contact with general visitors to the pool.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is expanding its partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to provide free COVID-19 tests for households across the state.

Some households in Metro Detroit have started receiving the government’s four free COVID-19 tests being sent out to those who ordered them.

As thousands of Metro Detroit residents continue to get tested for COVID, there’s renewed concern over insurance companies attempting to bill patients for tests that are supposed to be free.

It can be difficult to find a COVID test near you but doctors say getting tested could potentially save lives.

DETROIT – As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan had risen to 373,197, which includes 9,405 deaths, according to state officials. READ: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Dec. 3, 2020While the rate of new COVID-19 cases is slowing, deaths continue to rise. READ: Everything you should know about COVID-19 in Michigan before Whitmer’s Thursday (Dec. 3) briefingFree COVID-19 testing site opens in Highland ParkA free COVID-19 mobile testing site has reopened to the public at the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic in Highland Park. How to find free COVID-19 testing anywhere in MichiganThe state of Michigan has a website available where you can put in your address or zip code and find a COVID-19 testing site near you. VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 testing dataVIEW: Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools

LANSING, Mich. – There are going to be 77 new, free COVID-19 test sites in Michigan, according to officials. READ: 4 differences between first Michigan COVID spike and nowThe Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is launching the new sites thanks to a partnership with Walgreens and the Michigan Primary Care Association. “Cost should never be a barrier to Michiganders who need health care, including COVID-19 testing,” said Gov. “Containing the pandemic requires robust, easily accessible, free testing – and this is a big step in the right direction.”The new partnership with Walgreens has expanded its COVID-19 testing to 36 locations through the state. Michigan’s expansion of its partnership with the Michigan Primary Care Association will ensure patients do not face costs for testing at 47 locations.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Students attending the University of Michigan in the fall must spend two weeks monitoring their health before attending classes and reduce contact with others, the university announced Monday. In a letter to its students on Aug. 3, the Ann Arbor university told students to observe a 14-day period of enhanced social distance at home before arriving in Ann Arbor or on campus.During the two-week period, students are asked to:Take their temperature twice a day and monitor for fever. Students from international locations will start their period of enhance social distancing when they arrive. They should attend in-person classes until their 14-day period is over, even if it overlaps with scheduled classes. Currently, the university is building its plan for evaluating students with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, the U-M said.

READ: How to improve your mask breathIts called pooled testing, or group testing, basically it uses one test to test multiple people. Pooled testing takes samples from multiple people and mixes them together to be tested. If the pooled sample comes back positive then each sample needs to be retested individually to find which person is positive. The FDA is working on validating pooled testing for COVID-19. Researchers in Germany have been using the technique since mid-March to screen patients and staff at nursing and residential care homes.

On Saturday, May 2, the state reported about 23,500 active cases of COVID-19, the lowest such total since April 13. We’ve been tracking the state’s active coronavirus cases right here, giving us a good look at the “curve” along with total COVID-19 cases reported to date in Michigan. The state also reported an additional 7,317 recoveries from the disease as of May 1, bringing the total to 15,659 recoveries from COVID-19 in Michigan. Also on Saturday, the state reported an additional 11,165 COVID-19 test results, of which only 1,127 were positive. Overall, the state of Michigan has reported a total 207,135 COVID-19 test results since April 17.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is expanding testing criteria for coronavirus to include those with mild symptoms. It has put together a COVID-19 test site finder here. Michigan’s COVID-19 testing priority criteria now includes:Hospitalized patientsSymptomatic healthcare workersPatients in congregate facilities with symptoms, including those at: long-term care or elderly living facilitiesJails or prisonsHomeless sheltersResidential foster care facilitiesOther group living settingPatients age 65 and older with symptomsPatients with underlying conditions with symptomsFirst responders with symptomsCritical infrastructure workers with symptomsIndividuals with mild symptomsIf you believe you have coronavirus you should contact your healthcare provider to discuss if you should be tested.