Coronavirus / Covid-19

Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health received its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine early Monday morning and began vaccinating staff at 12:04pm. 

Per Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, frontline hospital workers across the country are receiving the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

At Spectrum Health the first groups getting the shots are the Emergency Room, Intensive Care and COVID-19 Units.

“So far, I feel fine. Not even a sore arm. It’s been about three-and-a-half hours.”

The Ford International Airport is partnering TACKL Health providing COVID-19 testing to travelers. No appointment, doctor’s referral or symptoms are necessary at the drive-thru testing site.

“Many of our business travelers in particular, now are required to have a negative COVID test before they can go into certain markets. In particular, international destinations.”

Regional economic development organization, The Right Place, held its 24th annual Economic Outlook for West Michigan in a virtual venue. A sign of the times with the coronavirus pandemic spurring the 2020 recession. With a vaccine on the horizon, what’s the economic forecast for 2021.

“As we’re able to open up the economy, I think there’s certainly less risk to a continuing recession. Arguably, we were in a recession for a quarter and then we saw growth.”

Jim Robey is Director of Regional Economic Planning Services with the W.E. Upjohn Institute.

Michigan Education Leaders Thursday called on Congress to pass a stimulus package that included more funding for public schools. The comments came during a meeting with superintendents across the state of Michigan, in an effort they said to highlight the “critical need for both short- and long-term K-12 funding commitments from the state and federal government."

The November Supply Management Research indicates the West Michigan recession recovery continues at a slow pace. The concern is the surge in COVID-19 cases spurring another round of state-imposed restrictions.

The Michigan Department of health and Human Services has extended the three-week partial shutdown of businesses and schools an extra 12 day to Dec. 20th. The move is designed to slow the surge in COVID-19 cases.