Nowhere does the coronavirus roar again fiercely than Michigan. There are an alarming number of cases in the state, almost as many now as during the worst moment of the pandemic.
Michigan has the highest new cases per capita in the nation, 72% more than the next highest state. Michigan’s positivity rate is almost three times higher than the national average. Nearly two dozen hospitals in the state are at least 90% full.
“The situation in Michigan is pretty worrying. It’s as bad as it is during the holidays. Variants are definitely one of the engines,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health.
There is a growing concern about what this might mean for the rest of the US
State officials are asking for help from the Biden administration. “We really encourage them to think about the rise of vaccines in the state of Michigan,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more shots may not be the solution. “When you have an acute situation, an extraordinary number of cases, like the one we have in Michigan, the answer is not necessarily to get vaccinated. The answer is to go back to where we were last spring, last summer, and close the things, “CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday.
On Monday, Whitmer extended work restrictions to allow people to work remotely, if possible, like her insta a two-week break in the indoor dining room, in face-to-face learning for high schools and youth sports. But these restrictions are voluntary. High school basketball championships were held over the weekend.
Children in the state’s high school are much more likely to become infected than any other age group, with more than one in four testing positive, including 15-year-old Niamh O’Connell.
“When I first got it, it bothered me quite a bit. My case was very smooth,” O’Connell said. “School is very important to me, but sometimes it stresses me out. So the chance to come play sports and give my body a chance to relax and just have fun with my friends, take that break and go back to school. ”
State student-athletes are being tested every week.
“It’s a burden on us, especially going to school and then back to sports, then back home. And you’re like wow, that’s life now,” said Jacob Roman, a high school student.
Variants that surpass Michigan now span 50 states, with B.1.1.7 or the variant first discovered in the UK, becoming the dominant one. A new study confirms that the variant is 35% more transmissible, but researchers say it is no more serious or fatal than the original strain.
“What’s happening in Michigan today may happen tomorrow in other states or other parts of the country,” Whitmer warned.