Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer
announced
her
“MI
Vacc
to
Normal
Challenge”
in
a
Thursday
morning
press
conference, outlining a four-
step
plan
to
gradually
lift
COVID-19 restrictions as state’
climbs from 48.8% vaccination
of residents 16 and older to the
goal of 70%.
Currently,
all
Michigan
residents above the age of 16
are eligible to receive a vaccine.
Two weeks after 55% of the
eligible population has received
at least one
shot, Whitmer
intends to lift the remote work
rule, an executive order from
Whitmer that any work that can
be done remotely, must be done
remotely.
The next step comes two
weeks after 60% of the eligible
population,
or
4.9
million
Michigan residents, receives the
vaccine. At this phase, Whitmer
will increase capacity at indoor
sports
stadiums,
conference
halls,
banquet
centers
and
funeral homes to 25% and raise
the allowed capacity for indoor
exercise
facilities
and
gyms
from 30% to 50%. At this phase,
Whitmer said she will also lift
the curfew currently in place at
restaurants and bars.
Once 65% of the eligible
population has received at least
one shot, Whitmer intends to
lift
all
restrictions
limiting
indoor capacity at restaurants
and bars to 100 people and all
other indoor facilities to 300
people, while still enforcing
social
distancing
guidelines
between parties. The plan also
states that guidelines relating
to residential gatherings will be
relaxed at this stage.
Once 70% of those 16 or
older
—
about
5.9
million
Michiganders — have received
a
shot,
Whitmer
will
lift
all
restrictions
relating
to
gatherings and the Face Mask
Order, with a possible exception
if
COVID-19
numbers
are
increasing and threatening the
medical system, or if a vaccine-
resistant variant emerges. This
is the fourth and final step of
Whitmer’s plan.
Whitmer
said
these
steps
are designed to keep Michigan
residents
safe
as
the
state
continues
its
economic
recovery.
“The
MI
Vacc
to
Normal
Challenge
outlines
steps
we can take to emerge from
this pandemic as we hit our
vaccination targets together,”
Whitmer said. “If you haven’t
already, I encourage you to rise
to the challenge and be a part of
the solution so we can continue
our
economic
recovery
and
have the summer we all crave.”
In her briefing, Whitmer also
expressed her trust in vaccines.
She said she believes it is in the
state’s best interest for everyone
to be vaccinated in order to
return to normal.
“Vaccines are our best chance
of putting this pandemic behind
us and returning to normal,”
Whitmer said. “They represent
hope and healing. If you want
to learn more, I encourage you
to talk to your family doctor,
learn about the safe, effective
vaccines and how they can save
your life and the lives of those
you love.”
Whitmer said that goals at
each step will make for the best
transition,
emphasizing
the
state’s need for teamwork.
“If we work together, we can
get this done,” Whitmer said.
“We have to have a set of clear
goals to accompany every step
of this process. As we drive
toward our eventual goal of
returning to normal, we will
pass checkpoints along the way
that will allow us to gradually
lift more limits and eventually,
we’ll get over that finish line.”
3
Thursday, May 6, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
“If we work
together, we can
get this done”
NEWS
On Saturday alone, more than
400,000
new
COVID-19
cases
were recorded in one day in
India. India’s healthcare system
is experiencing severe shortages
of hospital beds, oxygen and
medication, leaving Indians to
turn to social media to request
simple supplies.
Professor
of
biostatistics
Bhramar Mukherjee has been
actively involved with modeling
COVID-19 metrics since March
2020. Mukherjee predicted on
February 27, 2021 that a second
wave was coming in India and
called for the public and policy
makers to continue to adhere to
COVID-19 guidelines. Critics say
that India was unprepared for
this
second-wave
referencing
the lack of supplies and public
compliance.
Mukherjee is one of many
in the University of Michigan
community expressing support
and concern for the deadly
situation in India.
Rackham
student
Maxwell
Salvatore was part of the team
that built the COV-IND shiny app.
The app uses publicly available
data and other metrics to make
prediction models.
Salvatore predicts the peak
of the second wave will come in
mid-May, at which point there will
be 500,000 new cases each day.
“We think that the actual
number of cases might be 10 to
14 times the reported numbers,”
Salvatore said. “These numbers
are people, and the pictures
and videos that are coming out
are devastating and calls for the
coming together of the global
community.”
On
April
27,
University
President Mark Schlissel released
a statement expressing empathy
and solidarity for those affected
by the crisis. The statement
encouraged community members
to donate to the American India
Foundation’s
COVID
response
fund and listed other resources.
“India has long been one of
our most cherished international
partners
in
education
and
research. About 1,000 of our
current
students
and
6,000
alumni hail from India,” Schlissel
said. “The U.S. government has
pledged to help, and we urge
immediate
and
meaningful
action.
We
are
sharing
our
expertise with elected leaders to
advise on how to best provide
assistance.”
The U-M India Advisory Board,
along with the U-M India Alumni
Association,
has
led
various
initiatives to share medical and
public health expertise with India.
Student
groups
across
campus, including the South
Asian American Health Initiative
(SAAHI), South Asian Awareness
Network (SAAN), Indian Student
Association (ISA) and Project RISHI
have collaborated to raise money
for the Breathe India Fundraiser,
which aims to provide oxygen
concentrators
to
hospitals
in
Delhi, a COVID-19 hotspot. SAAHI
has said they have raised $1,103 as
of Sunday.
Public Health junior Nithya
Arun, SAAHI executive director
and Central Student Government
President, started the initiative
to alleviate the severe oxygen
shortage in the country. Arun’s
grandmother lives in New Delhi
and has hypertension, which
occasionally requires an oxygen
tank.
“(My grandmother) is doing
fine, but there are so many
people who do not have oxygen
right now because of how badly
this crisis was managed,” Arun
said. “These incidents of COVID
were
preventable,
(and)
the
Indian government could have
taken action before it got this
bad. Unfortunately, they put their
own interests ahead of the well-
being of the people.”
LSA junior Mishaal Yazdani,
incoming co-director for SAAN,
said the virus has taken its toll on
developing countries like India.
Yazdani encouraged the United
States to share its resources with
other countries who need it.
“I’m from Pakistan, but we are
all one community at the end of
the day, one human population,”
Yazdani
said.
“It’s
really
important that we are trying our
best, donating and spreading
awareness about this crisis.”
There
has
been
growing
concern over President Joe Biden’s
plans to help vaccinate the rest of
the world. Biden has pledged to
send protective equipment and
oxygen to India, in addition to
providing the country with doses
of the AstraZeneca vaccine once
it is safe to do so.
Chair of Radiology Vikas Gulani
is part of Health4theWorld, an
organization
founded
by
Dr.
Bhavya Rehani that aims to
provide basic healthcare services
worldwide.
Gulani
and
a
team
of
physicians across the U.S. and
India collaborated on multiple
projects to ease the burden on
the healthcare system in India.
One of their main efforts is to
send oxygen concentrators to
hospitals in India. Other projects
aim to provide services such as
palliative care, grief counseling
and telemedicine. The team also
sent healthcare kits with masks,
vitamins, pharmaceuticals and
pulse oximeters to Indians at
home.
“The goal was to provide people
with some way of taking care of
themselves at home if they’re
sick, so as to not overburden the
hospitals,” Gulani said. “Every
single bit of our work has been a
labor of love and people donating
their time.”
Gulani said they decided to
partner with organizations in
India that prioritize transparency
and
accountability
to
ensure
every dollar donated directly
impacts patients and physicians
in India. The team’s fundraiser
has raised $52,968 of its $100,000
goal at the time of publishing.
Chief of Hospital Medicine
Vineet
Chopra
and
Krishnan
Raghavendran, Director of the
U-M Center for Global Surgery,
are part of India COVID SOS, a
group of physicians, scientists and
policy makers from across the U.S.
providing home care resources,
medication and equipment to
people in India.
Chopra called on the U-M
community to come together and
check in on friends and family in
India. He stressed how people and
countries are all interconnected,
pointing to the fact that the
Indian variant, B.1.617, has been
reported
in
Clinton
County,
Michigan.
“There is no such thing as
a pandemic in one part of the
world,”
Chopra
said.
“What
happens in India could affect us
(in the United States), it’s really
important.”
U-M community shares concern for
COVID-19 crisis in India
Whitmer announces “MI Vacc to
Normal Challenge,” plans to lift
restrictions as state approaches
70% vaccination
VARSHA VEDAPUDI
Daily Staff Reporter
LILY GOODING AND NADIR AL-SAIDI
Summer News Editor & Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at michigandaily.com