Michigan’s COVID-19 case rate is 2nd worst in US as variants spread

On Mar 25, 2021

Michigan now has the second highest COVID-19 case rate per capita in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday — the same day state health officials announced 4,454 new coronavirus cases, the biggest daily total this year.

It comes as the Michigan Health and Hospital Association sounded alarms Wednesday that the state’s hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients — marking a 633% rise in hospitalizations since March 1 among people ages 30-39 and an 800% increase among those 40-49 years old.

Health officials suspect the growing case rates are driven by more transmissible strains of the virus, including B.1.1.7, or the United Kingdom variant, as well as outbreaks tied to schools and among student athletes.

Yet, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, said there are no specific metrics state health officials or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are using to determine when to tighten COVID-19 restrictions as a third wave of coronavirus infections pummels the state.

“We continue to look at the numbers,” Khaldun told journalists Wednesday outside Ford Field, where she injected a few doses into arms at the state’s first federally operated mass vaccine clinic. “The governor is well aware of what the numbers look like. We continue to monitor … those data and make the appropriate policy decisions.”

Among the most important figures state leaders are watching are case rates, the percentage of COVID-19 tests that are returning with positive results and hospitalizations, Khaldun said. But they’re keeping an eye another data point, too.

“I think it’s important to notice that we also have these vaccines; almost two-thirds of Michiganders over the age of 65 have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, which is a big deal. So we’ll continue to monitor.”

Hospitalizations are rising most among a younger group of people in the state than in previous surges. Those 30-49 — who do not have wide access to COVID-19 vaccines in Michigan — are being admitted to hospitals at a faster pace than those 80 and older, the hospital association reported.

More:Michigan and Detroit COVID-19 vaccine eligibility: Here’s who can get the shot

More:Michigan epidemiologist: New COVID-19 outbreaks tied to high school and youth sports

More:COVID-19 hospitalizations in Michigan surge 800% in March among people 40-49 years old

At this stage, people 30-49 are not eligible for vaccines in most parts of Michigan unless they have a qualifying underlying health condition or work in a profession that is considered essential.

“The correlation between high vaccination rates and lower hospitalization growth rates shows the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and how it protects from the risk of severe disease or hospitalization,” the MHA said in a statement.

“The data also indicates that, although older adults still have a higher risk of hospitalizations, the percentage of hospitalized patients who are younger than 40 years old has doubled (outpacing older adults), showing that adults of any age are vulnerable to complications from the disease.”

And people in that 30-49 age group also are most likely to be parents of school-age children, among whom the virus is spreading like wildfire.

Schools as outbreak source

The biggest source of outbreaks in Michigan right now is tied to K-12 schools, state data show, where the virus is taking hold and spreading among athletes and students, pushing many school districts that just reopened to in-person instruction to go close their doors and return to virtual learning.

Sixty three new school-associated COVID-19 outbreaks were reported this week in Michigan, adding to the 144 ongoing outbreaks.

Grosse Ile Township Schools Superintendent Joanne Lelekatch sent an email to parents Wednesday announcing Grosse Ile High School will switch to remote learning the rest of this week and may continue with virtual education after spring break because of the high number of cases and quarantined students.

“We anticipated that we may encounter positive COVID cases just as we had in our hybrid model,” Lelekatch wrote. “What was not anticipated was the number of positive cases that would result from winter sports practices, competitions, family transmission and the impact it would have on the number of students who would need to be quarantined.”

The school has 12 positive COVID-19 cases and 98 students in quarantine, in addition to a number of students being self-quarantined by parents, she said.