In the early days of COVID-19, the only thing that seemed to spread faster than the illness itself was fear. For many, even mild symptoms were cause to seek immediate answers, if not treatment. Driven by that uncertainty, Michigan Medicine turned to telehealth, standing up a triage hotline for COVID-19 screening. The hotline, often staffed by U-M medical students, proved to be an effective way to help patients and contribute to the pandemic response. Click through for details!

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations for kids and adults hit record levels in the latest Omicron surge, U-M Health leaders spoke out on Tuesday, saying the overwhelming strain on resources has led to delays in lifesaving surgeries. Click through for more on what they had to say, including steps you and members of the community can take to help faculty and staff at Michigan Medicine.

Local transmission rates of COVID-19 remain high as Omicron becomes the dominant variant, causing numerous exposures among health care workers, in our families and social circles, and our patient populations. To protect our workforce, patients and community, all faculty, non-bargained for staff and learners are required to receive the COVID-19 booster shot by Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, or as soon as you are eligible. Bargained for staff should refer to their respective collective bargaining agreements and corresponding MOUs for information on their requirements. Click through for details.

On Wednesday, leaders from U-M Health went public with the dire situation the organization is facing due to the recent wave of COVID-19 cases, which has put a physical and emotional strain on faculty and staff and affected patient care. The hope is that by speaking out, individuals will be spurred into action to help ease the burden on health care workers. Click through for more.

Although the small team of Michigan Medicine research scientists in charge of the COVID-19 clinical trials were just as elated as everyone else when the first Pfizer vaccine became available in mid-December 2020, they couldn’t help feeling a bit apprehensive. After all, it left them with a once-in-a-career professional dilemma. Click through to learn how and why the team decided to unblind their trial participants, allowing them access to a potentially life-saving vaccine option!

Since the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Michigan Medicine, roughly 50 percent of adults in Michigan have received at least one dose. But still more will be required to achieve herd immunity and allow the community to get closer to a sense of normalcy. If you have questions about the vaccine, click through to hear from your colleagues — both infection disease experts and those who received the vaccine — and find out why vaccinations are such a vital step to take.

As of this week, Michigan Medicine has invited all patients age 16 and older who live in Michigan and have not already been vaccinated to receive a vaccine. Additionally, all U-M staff, students and faculty who have filled out the BlueQueue questionnaire have been invited to make an appointment. Click through for more on this significant milestone!

To say the Department of Pathology has faced an increased and unprecedented workload over the past year would be an understatement. “It’s been overwhelming,” admitted Christine Kizer, M.T., senior medical technologist in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. “But it’s also been incredibly rewarding.” In honor of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, click through to learn about all that pathology has done to assist Michigan Medicine in the response to COVID-19!

Since COVID-19 vaccines became available in late December, thousands of faculty and staff have taken an important preventative measure in the fight to end the pandemic. They’ve done so for a variety of reasons, ranging from protecting those at the highest risk of severe complications from COVID-19 to making things safer for the next generation. Click through for a quick look at why some colleagues are making every shot count at Michigan Medicine — in their own words!