A new wave of COVID cases in the Upper Midwest is spreading to other regions as Northeastern states report a surge in infections and hospitalizations.
Hospitals in Michigan are now on alert as almost there 4,000 people are in hospital with the virus in the state – just shy of a record number. The latest figures show that 83 percent of ICU beds are now occupied and nine hospitals are completely full.
States across the Northeast, including New England and Vermont, are also reporting a rise in new infections. In New York, daily case rates are almost double what they were at the beginning of this month. Meanwhile, rows over corporate vaccine mandates have flared up as hundreds of Google employees sign a manifesto resisting a company mandate.
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Hundreds of Google employees call on colleagues to resist vaccine mandate
At least 600 Google staffers have signed a manifesto calling on co-workers to reject the measure and for management to implement a new vaccine rule that is “inclusive of all Googlers,” telling them to “oppose the mandate as a matter of principle”.
The manifesto comes as the December 3 deadline looms for over 150,000 Google employees to upload their vaccination status and tell the company whether they intend to return to the office.
FULL STORY: Hundreds of Google Employees Encourage Co-Workers to Resist Company’s Vaccine Mandate
Detroit facing ‘serious problem’ in hospitals amid COVID surge
City Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters last night that the number of Detroit residents hospitalized with the virus has doubled compared to the beginning of November, with 256 residents in the hospital on Tuesday.
“It if doubles again in the next three weeks, we’re going to see the most serious problem we’ve had since the spring of 2020,” he said, adding that the infection spike was not a surprise because people are spending more time indoors due to colder weather.
Michigan’s largest city, Detroit has had more than 67,500 confirmed COVID cases and 2,504 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
FULL STORY: Detroit Mayor Warns of ‘Serious Problem’ if COVID Cases Continue Rising in City
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Hospitalizations in Michigan are reaching near-record levels as a case surge spreads to Northeast and Southwest.
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