New TodayBefore any COVID-19 vaccines can be rolled out to the public they have to be granted an emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. Doctor Arnold Monto, a world class epidemiologist from the University of Michigan School of Public Health will lead the vaccine advisory committee. In terms of where the vaccine will go first in Michigan, those details are still being finalized. The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 320,506 as of Tuesday, including 8,688 deaths, state officials report. READ: 97 takeaways from epidemiologist’s deep-dive into Michigan COVID-19 spread, deaths, future outlookNew COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Michigan.

DETROIT It is the latest treatment to win emergency use authorization from the Federal Drug Administration, but exactly what is convalescent plasma? That liquid portion contains the natural immunity that someone develops in response to an infection, in this case COVID-19. Convalescent plasma has been used to treat other viruses including SARS, MERS and Ebola. Since April more than 70,000 Americans have received convalescent plasma. Recent data suggests convalescent plasma may be more beneficial when given within three days of diagnosis.

The FDA said Saturday that it reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics to use its COVID-19 test with pooled samples. Pooling works best with lab-run tests, which take hours -- not the much quicker individual tests used in clinics or doctors offices. Thats because the logistical and financial benefits of pooling only add up when a small number of pools test positive. Experts generally recommend the technique when fewer than 10% of people are expected to test positive. For example, pooling would not be cost-effective in Arizona, where a surge has pushed positive test results to well over 10%.