MICHIGAN — Vaccination rates are on the rise. Michigan is poised to pass 5-million doses Tuesday.
Despite that, case rates are on the rise. Michigan currently has the worst numbers in the country. Hospitalizations are also on the rise and that particular statistic isn’t just shifting in number, but in demographic too.
SEE MORE: Active COVID-19 cases in Michigan surpass 100K for first time since mid-November
Whereas at the start of the pandemic hospitals were seeing most coronavirus inpatients in the older age ranges – 60s, 70s and above – now, as those groups begin to receive the protection of the vaccine, it’s younger groups making up the surging numbers of hospitalizations from COVID-19.
“What’s concerning now is that we are over 3,300 inpatient hospitalizations,” said Brian Peters CEO of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. “Because we were below 1,000 for a long period of time earlier in the year. But we look at the all-time record high during the surge last year in 2020, we are approaching that number. That was around 4,500.”
Peters says the one encouraging trend they have been seeing is the effectiveness of the vaccine at keeping people out of the hospital.
“To this point, and I really want to make clear, we have not seen any – to our knowledge – any individual who has had both vaccines, their first and second dose, hospitalized with COVID-19,” he said. “It’s a very strong indication of the effectiveness.”
SEE MORE: Of nearly 3M Michiganders vaccinated, 246 contracted COVID-19 & 3 died
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