LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services gave an update Wednesday morning on COVID-19 trends in the state.
Information was provided about testing, disease trends, outbreaks, hospitalizations, deaths, vaccinations and the trajectory of the virus in Michigan.
It was led by state epidemiologist Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health at MDHHS.
The update comes as metrics continue to surge in the state, with Michigan having the highest case rate in the U.S.
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The state also has the most inpatient beds being used for COVID-19 patients in the nation, up 200% from the Feb. 28 low.
Test positivity currently sits at 15.6%.
Lyon-Callo says high test positivity is an indication that more testing is needed and a positivity of 3% or less is ideal.
Other Midwest states have also started seeing an increase in cases, though not as significantly as Michigan.
On the other hand, more than 36% of Michiganders 16 and older have had at least one dose of a vaccine.
Michigan is now 10th in the nation for most adults vaccinated with at last one dose, and eighth in the nation for the percentage of the population fully vaccinated.
In addition, more of the hospitalized patients are under 60 years old, showing that vaccination efforts among more vulnerable populations have been working, Lyon-Callo said.
More than 1,800 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been identified, along with seven cases of B.1351 and two cases of P.1. All are considered more easily transmitted.
Cases among children 10 to 19 years old are at an all-time high in Michigan since the pandemic started.
All age groups under 70 have been experiencing more than 200 cases per day.
Because of the surging number of cases, health officials have been struggling to keep up with contact tracing and case investigations, Lyon-Callo said.
The state released data Tuesday on breakthrough cases, meaning cases in individuals who are at least two weeks out from their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine -- and the number was actually less than what officials expected.
A total of 246 such cases have been identified so far, including three individuals who died and 11 who were hospitalized.
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The Centers for Disease Control says it's been working with Michigan's health officials and recommends no indoor sports.
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State officials, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have said they don't plan to re-implement pandemic restrictions, however.
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