Michigan’s seven-day average of new COVID-17 cases is rising sharply. So does the positivity rate.
Hospitalizations for coronavirus are also starting to climb.
In fact, coronavirus transmission in Michigan is growing faster than elsewhere in the country.
Pandemic is not over yet, Michigan officials warn as COVID-19 numbers rise
What’s going on with that?
Here’s a look at the factor quoted by experts.
Distribution of COVID-19 variants.
Perhaps the biggest cause of the increase is the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, which is more contagious than the dominant strain of coronavirus.
Together with Florida, Michigan has one of the most identified cases of the B.1.1.7 strain that first emerged in the United Kingdom. This variant has been identified in 725 cases in 31 Michigan provinces.
“Just a reminder, this variant is more transmissible, so someone infected with COVID-19 will transmit the virus more easily to others,” said dr. Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the MDHHS Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health, said in a press conference on March 17.
Relaxation of restrictions on restaurants, gyms and movie theaters in recent weeks.
Among the 50 states, Michigan had one of the lowest transmission rates in January and most of February, and experts believe a major reason for this was more restrictions.
Whitmer eased restrictions on gyms and movie theaters in January, allowing restaurants to resume eating on February 1st. The number of coronavirus cases and the positivity rate started to rise around the third week of February.
The lifting of restaurant restrictions usually leads to an increase in rates, a recent conclusion by the Federal Center for Disease Control found. This is because coronavirus spreads most easily in indoor environments where humans do not wear masks.
3. Resumption of high school sports and other extracurricular activities.
Lyon-Callo said the number of outbreaks related to schools, especially high schools, has jumped, but most of these involve extracurricular activities versus classroom exposure.
“The classroom environment itself was not a strong signal for outbreaks,” she said. “It’s mostly more the activities related to schools, including sports, but not just sports.”
In the state’s latest report, there are 53 new clusters in K-12 schools, infecting 253 students and staff. This compares with 17 new bunches infecting 68 people found in the February 15 report.
4. People are leaving their homes more.
The Department of Transportation in Michigan and companies that analyze cell phone data are seeing an increase in mobility, Lyon-Callo said.
The data suggest that the percentage of time people spend at home has decreased, and mobility is now close to the level of pre-pandemic, she said.
. “It shows a return to baseline mobility patterns, especially for non-essential visits,” Lyon-Callo said.
5. Lack of testing.
Lyon-Callo and other public health officials continue to say that more people are not being tested for coronavirus.
“We have flattened in terms of the number of diagnostic tests performed in the state each day,” Lyon-Callo said. ‘It’s important that we increase our testing, especially as cases increase. It is important for public health response, to ensure that we identify cases so that we can do contact detection and understand where outbreaks occur. ”
6. COVID fatigue.
Another important factor is ‘COVID fatigue’, says dr. Liam Sullivan, an infectious disease specialist for Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.
“I think people are really very tired of COVID-19 right now,” and they are especially tired of the COVID-related guidelines and restrictions, “Sullivan said. ‘There’s a section of the population who say’ I don’t care anymore ‘and others who pay just as much attention to what they do, intentionally or unintentionally.
“If you have this combination of people who stop taking the right precautions and circulating these variants that are clearly more contagious, it’s a recipe for yet another increase in infections,” Sullivan added.
The good news, according to Lyon-Callo and others, is that the increase in cases is currently concentrated among those aged 50 and under.
“Those between 10 and 19 years old have the highest fall, and their case is increasing faster than that of other age groups,” she said.
This is important because younger people are much, much more prone to mild cases of coronavirus, she said. It is also important that the cases do not increase among those aged 70 years and older, a group at risk of being admitted to hospital or if they contract the virus.
“We are delighted to see that the (cases of senior citizens) are not increasing, and in my opinion show a positive impact of the vaccination efforts,” Lyon-Callo said.
More than 60% of Michigan residents, 65 years and older, have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine.
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