About 71,000 people have received the first of two rounds of coronavirus vaccinations in Michigan, where more than 480,000 virus cases have been confirmed. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have already been distributed to hospitals, local health departments and tribal health clinics. The state says residents and staff at skilled nursing homes began receiving the Moderna vaccine on Monday. Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services says it has received 231,075 doses of both vaccines. On Sunday and Monday, Michigan confirmed another 3,239 cases and 60 deaths, taking the total cases in the state to 480,508 and deaths to 12,089.
Meantime, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law a $106 million plan to provide relief to businesses and fund efforts to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus. Though the plan was a collaborative effort between the governor and the legislature, Whitmer told reporters on Tuesday that the legislature strayed from the original and the $465 million plan that was sent to her desk had been cut. Unemployment benefits will be extended from 20 weeks to 26 weeks through the end of March. But Whitmer used a line-item veto to get rid of a $220 million allocation that would have helped businesses fund unemployment benefits.