US Coronavirus: Other US States Could See Scenarios Similar to Covid-19 Crisis Unfolding in Michigan, Expert Says

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And there are several reasons for the crisis.

“First, we think the overall infection rate in Michigan has been lower so far during the pandemic,” John Fox, CEO of Beaumont Health, said on CNN Saturday. “Second, Michigan recently opened … with several orders being fulfilled.”

Officials reported last week that Beaumont Health’s eight hospitals in two Detroit districts were 90% -95% full and the number of their Covid-19 patients increased from 129 in late February to more than 800 patients.

“Unfortunately, I think people have dropped their infection control issues, they don’t wear their masks as often as they should, social aloofness, hand hygiene,” Fox added.

Complicating matters further, he said, is the highly contagious B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly not only across the state, but across the country as well.
First discovered in the UK, cases of that variant have now been reported in all 50 US states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida leads the country with the highest number of cases of the B.1.1.7 strain, followed by Michigan and Minnesota, according to the CDC data.
Nurses submit paperwork for patients at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on April 16, 2021

And with much of the older population vaccinated against the virus, the variant has hit younger groups hard.

“It’s really present in all of our ERs and frankly in our clinical units,” Fox said. “We’re treating younger patients than we’ve ever seen,” said Fox.

Emergency physician and CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen says she is concerned about what this could mean for Michigan and the US.

“What’s happening in Michigan right now could very well be happening in other states,” she told CNN on Saturday. “Mainly because we have this more contagious B.1.1.7 variant that is now dominant in the US.”
The encouraging news, Wen added, is that vaccinations against Covid-19 are accelerating, which could help tone down another potential violent wave in the country.

Nearly a quarter of all Americans are fully vaccinated

In the race to vaccinate as many Americans as possible, another major milestone: the US is approaching a quarter of fully vaccinated Americans.

According to CDC data, more than 129 million Americans have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine – about 39% of the US population – and more than 82 million are fully vaccinated – about 24.8% of the population. According to the data, nearly a third of Americans 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
Doctors come home because of the cause of blood clots that may be related to Covid-19 vaccines
Meanwhile, a recommended break for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine continues in the US. Officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recommended six reported cases of a “rare and serious” type of blood clot, among more than 6.8 million Americans who took the injection.
CDC vaccine advisers, after meeting last week without making a decision, have scheduled another meeting for April 23 to answer the question of whether the J&J vaccine causes blood clots and, if so, what to do about it. . The group previously said they needed more information.
Don't panic if you get these side effects from a Covid-19 vaccine. They can even be a good sign

“I’m glad the hiatus is coming because it really illustrates that our system is working, that our federal health officials are prioritizing – more than anything else – safety,” Wen told CNN Saturday. “If they’re willing to take a break at anything less than one in a million, we really need to be reassured about their commitment to safety.”

The other two Covid-19 vaccines that have also received the green light in the US – Pfizer and Moderna – are not involved in the break. And in the coming weeks, it will be critical to continue the important messages about their safety, Wen said, and why Covid-19 vaccinations remain crucial.

“We do this because we have a pandemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives here in the US,” added Wen.

Federal official: CDC, FDA take reports of blood clots and J&J Covid-19 vaccine 'seriously'

At a Covid-19 White House briefing on Friday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky that officials recognize the importance of acting quickly with the paused J&J vaccine.

“What I’d like to say to the American people is that what we discovered is really extremely rare cases through our vaccine safety monitoring system. And that we’re transparent – this Friday meeting will be public, people can call in – we’re bringing transparency about that science, Walensky said.

Officials have also reached out to thousands of providers to inform them of what kinds of cases they should be looking for, she said.

“And we want to make it clear to the American public: we have two vaccines that are readily available – the Pfizer and the Moderna – and people have to keep rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated,” Walensky added.

CNN’s Michael Nedelman, Jen Christensen, Maggie Fox, Virginia Langmaid and Lauren Mascaren contributed to this report.

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