MI Receives $6.3M In Federal Money To Fight COVID-19 Variants

Detroit MI

16 April, 2021

11:26 AM

Description

MICHIGAN — Michigan is receiving more than $6.3 million from the federal government to help the state combat the spread of COVID-19 variants amid the coronavirus pandemic, the White House announced Friday. The funding, announced by the administration of President Joe Biden Friday, comes from $1.7 billion that is being allocated to states and local health departments from the American Rescue Plan. It includes an initial $240 million allocation, with additional funding that officials said will be dispersed over the course of several years, according to a news release. The original COVID-19 strain makes up about half of all cases across the U.S., officials said Friday. New and potentially dangerous strains of the coronavirus make up the other half. Don't miss important updates from health and government officials on the impact of the coronavirus in Michigan. Sign up for Patch's daily newsletters and email alerts. According to the CDC, Michigan has the second most reported cases of B.1.1.7, otherwise known as the variant from the U.K. The state has reported 2,262 cases of the variant, trailing Florida, which has reported 3,510 cases of the variant. The state also has reported active cases of P.1 and B.1.351 variants, according to the CDC. Officials said increasing the country's genomic sequencing is an essential component to fight COVID-19 variants. The Biden Administration is putting $1 billion toward that process to help states more effectively detect and track variants, according to a news release. An additional $400 million in funding will go toward establishing six Centers of Excellence in Genomic Epidemiology, according to the release. The centers will operate as partnerships between state health departments and academic institutions, fueling genomic surveillance funding. The administration said $300 million will go toward supporting bioinformatics throughout the U.S. public health system.