cbleck@miningjournal.net
Laurium resident Kathy Hendrickson receives her first COVID-19 vaccine on Monday at the Aspirus Laurium Clinic. Aspirus Health began vaccinating the first community members against COVID-19 on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Aspirus Health)
MARQUETTE Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties is temporarily pausing scheduling for COVID-19 vaccine clinics for individuals age 65 and older because of a statewide vaccine shortage.
PHDM announced on Monday that it, as well as other local health department and health system partners, were notified that requests for vaccine in Michigan surpassed federal allocations for the upcoming week by more than 210,000 doses.
It said vaccination partners in the state requested 270,000 doses while the total vaccine allocation to Michigan for the week was 50,000 doses.
Western Upper Peninsula Health Department
HANCOCK The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) announces that the agency is set to begin COVID-19 vaccination of residents age 65 years or older. The first clinics will be held beginning Monday, Jan. 11, at both the Hancock and Bessemer locations, with limited appointments available.
Due to the lack of a sufficient supply of vaccine, clinics are by appointment only. No walk-in clinics will be held. WUPHD has launched on online scheduling tool for appointments. The tool can be found at https://westernuphealthdepartmentscheduler.as.me/schedule.php. People are encouraged to check the website frequently for newly added clinics and locations. Residents may also call 906-482-7382 for assistance with making an online appointment.
iminor@dailypress.net
ESCANABA Like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic dominated the local news in 2020. As 2020 draws to a close, here’s a look at some of the major local news stories of the year.
January
1 Escanaba residents Georgios Sitaras and Jami Hentz welcomed OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group’s first baby of the new year at 7:32 a.m. Nicoletta Elizabeth Sitaras weighed 7 pounds, 1.9 ounces and was 19 inches long. She was the couple’s first baby together.
10 Delta County Sheriff’s Department now has two K-9 units after Deputy Chad Newton and K-9 Officer Sage completed training. Newton and Sage, a female Dutch shepherd, are a certified K-9 unit after weeks of being trained by K-9 Master Trainer Marty Munger of Superior K-9 Training, based in Marquette.
cbleck@miningjournal.net
MARQUETTE The Marquette County Health Department has provided rollout phases and estimated starting times for the COVID-19 vaccination process in the Upper Peninsula.
The MCHD said vaccine has been distributed to many provider organizations across Michigan, and continues to be distributed and received. It encourages people age 16 and older to get vaccinated.
However, because of limited supply, vaccine distribution must follow strict guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the MIchigan Department of Health and Human Services to ensure people with the highest critical need are vaccinated first.
Dr. Bob Lorinser, medical director of the Marquette County Health Department, Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, Western Upper Peninsula Health Department and Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties, said questions about vaccine allocations abound statewide and nationwide.