The University of Michigan says it has ended its "broad, generalized COVID-19 case notifications for classrooms and building spaces." U-M officials cite state guidance, as well as community feedback that the notices were confusing. Meanwhile, Michigan State University is no longer alerting faculty members about certain possible cases of COVID-19 exposure in classrooms ..read more

It's a bad time to get sick in Oregon. That's what many doctors are telling their patients and the public, as hospitals full of COVID-19 patients have been forced to postpone some treatments of other medical conditions. Charlie Callagan had his scheduled bone-marrow transplant postponed. Now he's waiting for a new surgery date, hunkered down at his home in Merlin, a small Rogue Valley town in southern Oregon. Though he looks perfectly healthy, sitting in the smoky summer air on his outdoor deck, Callagan, 72, has multiple myeloma, a blood cancer of the bone marrow. "It affects the immune syste ..read more

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, examining the Federal Bureau of Investigation's mishandling of its investigation into former Olympic doctor Larry Nassar. This comes after a report from the Office of the Inspector General. The OIG's report, issued in July, details the FBI's mishandling of its investigation into Larry Nassar. "According to civil court documents, approximately 70 or more young athletes were allegedly sexually abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment between July 2015, when USA Gymnastics first reported allegations about Nassar to the ..read more

State Representative Steve Marino has been removed from his committee assignments. That’s as the Michigan State Police investigate threats he allegedly made against another lawmaker, Representative Mari Manoogian ..read more

If you don’t have to go to an Emergency Department at Beaumont right now, don’t. That’s the message from Beaumont Health physicians, who on Wednesday pleaded with the public to help reduce the “extreme” patient loads that have overwhelmed the health system’s 10 Emergency Departments ..read more

Today on Stateside , the state Legislature takes up a ban on mask mandates. If the measure succeeds, it’s sure to meet the governor’s veto pen. We talk to a Democratic lawmaker who also opposes the bills. Then, how the COVID era has changed the way we think about and use social spaces. And, it was a boom year for mosquitoes in Michigan. Does that translate to more mosquito-borne diseases this year? We go behind the scenes with the scientists tracking those numbers ..read more

NPR will be covering and celebrating Latino culture and history throughout National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins today. You can find continued coverage here (and be sure to check out the "El Tiny" takeover of the Tiny Desk (home) concert series, kicking off with a performance from J Balvin). Hispanic Heritage Month started as one week and was expanded in 1988. It begins on Sept. 15 to coincide with the national independence days of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The Pew Research Center has been tracking key facts and figures on U.S. Latinos for years. Here ..read more

National Guard troops are used to being activated during times of natural disaster or civil unrest — but in Massachusetts, they're being called out to drive students to school. The office of Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that as many as 250 Guard members would be made available "to address staffing shortages in certain districts," according to a press release. It said that 90 would be training immediately for service in Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell and Lynn. The Guard will take over driving duties on some 7D vehicles. Known as "school pupil transport vehicles," 7D vehicles are generally vans. Th ..read more

The Food and Drug Administration released an analysis by Pfizer on the need for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer's analysis says data from Israel and the United States in the context of the delta variant "suggest that vaccine protection against COVID-19 infection wanes approximately 6 to 8 months following the second dose." The company says the available data support its request for FDA approval of a third dose of COVID vaccine to be given about six months after the second dose in people 16 years and older. The agency posted the briefing document and data ahead of ..read more

The COVID-19 response plan that President Biden unveiled last week aims to dramatically increase the accessibility of rapid tests for the coronavirus. The Biden administration announced it was spending $2 billion on 280 million quick-turnaround tests to be distributed to community health centers, food banks, testing sites, shelters, prisons and other congregate settings. It's also leaning on Walmart, Amazon and Kroger to sell rapid tests at wholesale cost for the next three months. Such quick-turnaround tests can be taken at home or at a point of care and deliver results often in under an hour ..read more