(WXYZ) – Michigan could potentially face a new COVID-19 case, said Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun Friday at a press conference.
Dr. Khaldun said “very worrying data” shows the state is going in the wrong direction
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said.
The number of cases in Michigan is now 173 cases per million and has been increasing in the past four weeks. They are up 77% across all age groups, but those ages 10-19 have seen the greatest increase.
In addition, the percentage of positivity has increased over the past four weeks and is now at 6.2 percent. There has also been an increase in hospital admissions over the past two weeks, with 4.9% of hospital beds used for COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Khaldun said many of the cases are related to outbreaks, which have increased to 645 statewide.
Last week, the number of cases in K-12 settings was greater than the number in long-term care settings. Dr. Khaldun said there are risks with activities related to children in this age group.
Many of the outbreaks are related to sports; Dr. Khaldun said 315 outbreaks are related to various sports teams related to clubs, schools and recreational sports.
In addition, Dr. Khaldun said that although children are less likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19, they still can. The state is still tracking cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children known as MIS-C, a syndrome related to COVID-19 in children that can cause multiple organs to become inflamed.
To date, 89 cases of MIS-C have been identified in children in Michigan.
“We still have to protect our children from this terrible virus,” said Dr. Khaldun.
The state also continues to monitor variants. Currently, 736 cases of the B117 variant have been identified in 31 counties in the state. Michigan has the second most cases of this variant in the United States, after Florida.
Dr. Khaldun said the majority of cases with this variant are related to outbreaks in municipal settings, but the variant is also spreading in the community.
“I’m concerned about our current numbers,” she said. “It is imperative that we protect each other by wearing masks and social distance.”
“How this turns out depends on what we all do together to protect ourselves and our families.”
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