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Coronavirus in MI: 16 cases total, locations identified in Oakland County, impact on hospitals and a new faster test

Posted at 5:48 PM, Mar 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-13 17:48:08-04

(WXYZ) — Michigan now has 16 cases of the coronavirus. Three of the cases are in Oakland County. Health officials have released places, dates and times “out of an abundance of caution”. And is urging anyone who may have visited these locations to watch for symptoms.

The two new Oakland County cases are both adult men. One has traveled domestically, while the other has not traveled at all.

The Oakland County Health Division is working diligently to find out who may have been exposed. In the meantime, here are the locations of where these two men have been:

  • March 1st and March 4th at the Detroit Metro Airport
  • March 5th at the Burger King on Twenty-Three Mile Road in Chesterfield Township; also White Castle on Twenty-Three Mile Road in New Baltimore; and Hobby Lobby on Twenty-Fourth Ave in Fort Gratiot Township.
  • March 6th at the Poole’s Tavern in Northville and Five Guys on Twenty-Eighth St. in Grand Rapids
  • March 7th at the Tap Room on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti; the MSA Woodland on 28th St in Grand Rapids; the Texas Roadhouse on 28th Street East in Kentwood, and also at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth
  • And lastly, on March 8th the locations are the Subway restaurant on 28th Street in Grand Rapids; Jimmy Johns on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, and also Burger King on East Grand River Ave in Portland.

Now the third person who was diagnosed earlier this week is an adult woman. And we’re told that she’s have had very little contact with people. So community exposure in regards to this case is considered minimal.

The first thing you should do if you are showing symptoms is call your family doctor. If you don’t have one, you can call your local health department. If you don’t’ know this number, you can find it online at malph.org/resources/directory.

Also, Beaumont now has a coronavirus hotline you could also call at 248-551-7000.

Now, what we don’t want you to do, is get into your car and drive to a medical facility like a walk-in clinic, doctor’s office or a hospital. It’s important to call first. If they feel that you need to be seen or tested, you’ll be given instructions on the next steps.

Many hospital are announcing visitor restrictions like Beaumont Health, Michigan Medicine and Detroit Medical Center.

Now I know this can be very frustrating for people who want to visit loved ones. But these steps are being taken for one reason only, and that’s to help limit the spread of this extremely contagious virus. And it’s not just to protect our patients, it’s also to protect all the doctors, nurses and medical staff that are working very hard to help those who are sick. So please before visiting someone, check with the hospital first as restrictions do vary.

But generally speaking, patients are allowed one to two adult visitors, children under the age of 16 may not be allowed except under extreme circumstances, and certainly no one allowed with cold or flu-like symptoms.

Here in Michigan, health officials have the ability to test roughly 1,300 people. And right now officials believe that there are enough tests. But that could quickly change. Because as we all know, this virus will continue to spread and more people will need to be tested. But the good news is, with the schools closing, events being postponed and people working from home, I’m optimistic that these actions will slow down the spread.

The FDA has granted “emergency use authorization” for a new coronavirus test which is able to test about 10 times faster than it’s existing tests. It runs on the cobas 6800 and 8800 systems. And the 8800 system is able to test just over 4,100 patients a day.

The good news is that there are over 110 across the US and more will be added in the coming weeks.

This week on the Dr. Nandi Show, a deep-dive discussion into a hot-button topic, the evolving roles of men and women. Dr. Nandi, MD is joined by Life Coach Bryan Reeves who reveals why men feel emotionally disconnected and ways they can embrace their feminine power. Plus Sabrina Lynn of “ReWilding for Women” suggests women have become more masculine and are the ones behaving badly! And a relationship coach and couple demonstrate how to recharge both male and female energies. Join Dr. Nandi this Sunday, March 15th at 1 pm.