By Whitney Gresham
With the country possibly hurtling toward a deadly pandemic brought on by the sudden worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus disease and the Trump Administration’s inept response to it, public health officials in Michigan are taking aggressive measures to reassure residents they have the situation under control.
Detroit and state health officials are closely monitoring the public for any indication the deadly virus has hit here. As of Monday, March 9th, 63 people met the criteria for testing for 2019-nCOV; the technical name for the disease and of that group, 39 have tested negative and 0 have tested positive. The remainder are still undergoing evaluation.
Lynn Sutfin, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said MDHHS began working with local health departments, healthcare coalitions, hospitals and healthcare partners when the coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China.
“The initial focus was working with federal partners to ensure that Michigan’s public health system could support traveler screening and monitoring to limit the entry of cases into the U.S,” Sutfin said. “Hospitals and healthcare partners were also engaged to establish screening procedures for any patients presenting for care with a travel history and symptoms that could be indicative of a possible COVID-19 case. These activities have mirrored much of the public health response to recent Ebola outbreaks.”
While the MDHHS was implementing those activities, Detroit officials have put considerable effort into planning for the next phase of this outbreak which now includes community mitigation said Denise Fair, Detroit Chief Public Health Officer.
“There have been no cases that are confirmed in Michigan to date,” she said. “But the DHD remains diligent and concerned.”
She noted the best way to protect oneself from contracting the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth and to stay inside if you feel sick.
Earlier this week Mayor Mike Duggan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Detroit Water and Sewerage Director Gary Brown announced a Coronavirus Water Restart Plan to mitigate any prospective health risks from the disease by helping to ensure that all Detroiters have access to water in their homes.
Under the jointly-developed plan, for the first 30 days, the State of Michigan will cover customers’ costs to reconnect water service for Detroiters who are currently experiencing or at risk of experiencing a water service interruption due to non-payment. After 30 days, Detroiters who are at risk of a water service interruption will be able to restore or keep their water service by paying only $25 per month.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) serves more than 230,000 accounts that includes a residential population of nearly 700,000.
“All any resident has to do is make a call to Wayne Metro and they will avoid service interruption,” said Brown. “This is the most successful and robust assistance program in the country, resulting in 16,500 Detroit households receiving help that continued water service to their homes. With these options, no one should be without water service.”
“We deeply appreciate Governor Whitmer’s support and leadership on this issue,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “As long as COVID-19 remains a health concern, no Detroit resident should have concerns about whether their water service will be interrupted.”
Last week President Trump signed an $8.3 billion aid package that will be used to help communities combat the scourge. U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Debbie Stabenow (MI) announced earlier that they had already secured $14.5 million in federal funding for Michigan from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to prepare against any outbreak and improve readiness.
In addition, funding will go towards priorities such as personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and vaccines and reimbursing state and local
governments for detection and prevention efforts. Senator Peters pushed for these priorities after convening a call with public health officials and hospitals from across Michigan on preventing the spread of Coronavirus within the state.
In a press release to the Michigan Chronicle, the senators broke down how the $8.3 billion supplemental funding package is expected to be distributed.
Including:
· $14.5 million for Michigan for public health response efforts;
· $350 million for “hot spots” funding which Michigan municipalities can apply for in the event of an outbreak;
· $500 million for masks, protective equipment and other medical supplies to allow the federal government to distribute to state and local governments and hospitals;
· $950 million to reimburse for activities state and local governments have already undertaken, including: Coronavirus monitoring; laboratory testing to detect positive cases; contact tracing to identify additional positive cases; infection control at the local level to prevent additional cases; mitigation in areas with person-to-person transmission to prevent additional cases; and other public health preparedness and response activities. Hospitals and other providers can enter into cooperative agreements with states to access this money;
· $100 million for Community Health Centers;
· Funding to develop a Coronavirus vaccine;
· Requiring consideration of supply chain security and identification of U.S.-based manufacturing facilities for key supplies;
· Funding for the CDC Infectious Disease Rapid Response Fund, which helps send out CDC personnel and resources to local hot spots; and
· Training for local responders and surge bed capacity in hot spots.
“Coronavirus is a threat that we need to take seriously – and that’s why I’ve been pressing for more federal resources to detect, prepare and respond to any potential outbreak,” Peters said in a press release to the Michigan Chronicle. “After hearing about Michigan’s priorities firsthand, I helped secure this funding to address the most immediate health and security needs for Michiganders. Ensuring our country is safe is my top priority in the U.S. Senate, and I’m going to continue working to make sure we have the resources and support to address a potential outbreak effectively.”
That is precisely why now would be a good time for Michigan businesses to review their sick leave and work from home policies, according to Dr. Emily Toth Martin, associate professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
“If COVID19 comes to Michigan, it will be important to allow people to stay home if they are sick. For Michigan residents, my recommendations are twofold: first, the medical system will get very busy if there is an outbreak in Michigan. Now is a great time to refill your prescriptions and prepare for a longer wait time to see your doctor,” she said in an email to the Michigan Chronicle. “Second, think about what you’ll need if you need to stay home while sick or need to stay home with children if any schools are closed. Having a few extra groceries on hand for this is a good idea, but no need to stockpile supplies.”
She said fortunately, there appears to be good cooperation between state and local health officials in coordinating their efforts to protect Michigan residents.
“Preparations are in full swing in anticipation of COVID-19. State and local labs are working to make testing available as soon as possible, and local health departments are preparing their plans to make sure that they can work with
people who have been exposed or infected quickly and safely,” Martin said. “At UM, we are working with CDC on plans to find out what the spread looks like in the community, if that were to happen.”
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