(CNN) – As the United States rushes to vaccinate more Americans, Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise, especially among younger people who have not yet received the vaccine.
Some experts worry that this is just the beginning of things that will happen in the coming weeks. Michigan is already in the midst of a violent wave, and an epidemiologist says other states should pay close attention.
“Michigan is really the benchmark for what it looks like as variant B.1,1.7 … spreads in America,” said Dr. Celine Gounder on Sunday to CNN. “It is causing an increase in the number of cases and it is causing more serious illnesses, which means that even the youngest people, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, become seriously ill and hospitalized for it.”
Variant B.1,1.7, first discovered in the UK, is now the dominant strain of the virus in the US, experts say it is more contagious, can cause more serious illness and potentially be more deadly. And it is rapidly spreading across the country.
Florida has the highest number of cases of the variant, followed by Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.
Michigan is ‘on fire’ from Covid-19
The rise in cases of covid-19 in Michigan is a combination of two factors, Gounder says: the spread of variant B.1,1.7 combined with people relaxing through mitigation measures before enough residents have been vaccinated.
And while some officials, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, are trying to argue for the federal government to increase vaccines to the state, Gounder says it won’t help in this case.
Here’s why: It takes about two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna and about two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people to be immune, he said. Meanwhile, Gounder added, “the incubation period, the time from exposure to coronavirus infection, is four to five days.”
“So there’s no way that an increase in vaccination can help stop this if the transmission is happening right now,” he said. “The harsh truth is that the only thing that will stop the broadcast at this point are the measures that will take effect immediately.” For example, dressing up, not eating inside and socializing outside, he added.
Michigan is now reporting thousands of new covid-19 cases daily, while just a few weeks ago state data showed that the daily number of reported cases was as low as 563 cases. In one part of the state, the emergency room physician, Dr. Rob Davidson, told CNN that the number of hospital admissions has been multiplied by “four” in the past two weeks.
“Hospitals are flooded,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University. Michigan must be closed.
But he added that the government should send more vaccines to the state.
Think of it this way: Every year during the fire season, when wildfires get out of hand, we don’t let the states manage it the best we can. We have increased the firefighters in those states. So Michigan is now on fire. And we have to get that out, ”he said.
Other state leaders are alarmed
But it’s not just Michigan.
Minnesota health officials warned that the state was experiencing a “surge” in COVID-19 cases, saying it is “more important than ever” to continue wearing a mask and maintain physical distance.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said the state saw an increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions and urged residents to get vaccinated to prevent another increase.
“This is a race,” he said. We are in a race. And it is a race to the death.
In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf last week warned that the state was seeing an increase in cases and urged residents to “do their part and practice proven public health practices to protect each other.”
Last week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy expressed concern about the high number of COVID-19 cases in the state and what could happen in the future.
“This is why we continue to uphold things like our state mask mandate, especially for indoor operations where we know transfer is more likely,” Murphy said. “It is also why we are aggressively extending the eligibility period for a vaccine.”
The US must answer vaccination questions, the expert says
Some experts say the United States could overcome another potential surge in the coming weeks if Americans stick with it a little longer and continue to implement safety measures while a greater proportion of the population is vaccinated against the virus.
To date, about 35.9% of all Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. And about 21.9% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Of American adults, nearly 46% have received at least one dose of the vaccine and about 28% have been fully vaccinated, the CDC said. If vaccinations continue at the current rate, the United States will likely hit a milestone this week: to vaccinate half of adults with at least one dose of the vaccine.
With the record rate at which the United States is administering vaccines, the country could reach the vaccination rates needed to keep the virus under control in the coming months, Reiner said.
“The way to do it is to get vaccinated like crazy,” he said.
About 4.6 million doses were administered on Saturday, a new record for the number of reported doses administered in one day. According to the CDC, an average of more than 3.1 million doses of vaccine were administered per day in the past week.
But there are challenges ahead.
“The last 20 to 30% will be the hardest because many people in this country are still reluctant to get the vaccine. We see it across the country, ”said Reiner of George Washington University. “We really need to get down to business, talk to people about their indecision and get fired up.”
“Because if we don’t vaccinate that last 30% or so, we’ll have to live with this virus for a long time to come.”
– CNN’s Anna Sturla contributed to this report.