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The concentration of COVID-related genes found in wastewater is considered an early indicator of where COVID infections are heading. The latest data from the state's 20 "sentinel sites" show concentrations rising in 13 of them.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently issued some new guidance around the COVID-19 pandemic. It's meant to help people make personal health decisions around masking and social distancing during this apparent lull in the pandemic.

State and federal environmental agencies have detected elevated levels of certain chemicals around the Stellantis Mack Assembly plant on Detroit’s east side. But those chemicals don’t appear to be at levels high enough to negatively impact human health, officials said at a presentation to community members Thursday night.

Michigan’s child welfare system met fewer than half of the standards reviewers looked at in a new report.

Last July's flood was caused by heavy rains and worsened by aging infrastructure. It inundated roads and homes. Experts say the heavy flooding took a mental health toll on Michiganders already struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced the $18.5 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control this week. It will bring labs from Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Wayne State, and the University of Michigan onboard for the Michigan Sequencing Academic Partnership for Public Health Innovation and Response (MI-SAPPHIRE).

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Education outlined a series of COVID protection measures in a letter sent to school superintendents on Thursday. But the measures are recommendations, not mandates.

The case was discovered in Kent County.

A World Health Organization panel has classified it as a variant of concern. The potential risks of omicron are not yet known.

Nearly 69% of Michiganders age 16 and up have gotten at least their first dose of one of the three vaccines.