Michigan’s latest COVID boom has Metro Detroit hospitals approaching capacity

DETROIT – The spread of coronavirus is not slowing down in Michigan.

On Thursday, the state reported more than 7,800 new cases and 73 new deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state to 723,297 and the death toll to 16,400.

The tendency is for Metro Detroit hospitals to become full. Many people alarm when they approach capacity.

As of Thursday, more than 3,500 people are being admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Far beyond the threshold of 3,000, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer justified the “Pause to Save Lives” in the fall.

There is currently a 92% occupancy rate in hospitals in Michigan. Between 20-25% of COVID hospitalizations are in the ICU, but the mortality rate is better.

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The positivity rate of Henry Ford Health System was 19% on Thursday. It was only 4% a few weeks ago.

Health officials said the increase in cases is not comparable to what the state saw in the fall, but that it is closer to the spring of 2020.

“We are very concerned about the increasing number of cases. By the end of the day, we expect to have more than 500 patients in our hospitals,” said Dr. Adnan Munkarah, Henry Ford Health, said. “The last time we saw such numbers was April 2020.”

“We are afraid that next week we may reach critical capabilities in our intensive care units,” said Beaumont Health Jeffrey Fischgrund.

The governor’s office is still shying away from the restrictions imposed by the state in the fall, despite the worse numbers.

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Both Beaumont and Henry Ford hospitals made it clear on Thursday that vaccination and achieving herd immunity are the only way out, and if people do not take social distance and follow masking, the system will reach a tipping point.