MUSKEGON, Mich. — Mercy Health in Muskegon announced Tuesday that they have zero inpatients with COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The hospital made the announcement on its Facebook page.
Doctors at Mercy Health Muskegon said that they are thrilled, relieved and also proud of West Michigan.
Dr. Claudia Jarrin, MD, the Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mercy Health Muskegon said, “I think this is a reflection of our community in playing the role and helping slow the spread of this virus.”
At their peak in November, Mercy Health Muskegon had 153 COVID-19 inpatients.
“We were past our capacity and that is why we had to open up Hackley,” said Dr. Jarrin.
To keep that from happening again, Dr. Jarrin said we all need to keep up safety practices and consider getting vaccinated.
“It is safe, it is effective and it will continue to help in decreasing our numbers and preventing the virus from further mutations or variants,” she explained.
With the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine potentially on the verge of approval, Dr. Jarrin said it could help us make an even bigger dent in Michigan’s COVID numbers.
RELATED: Johnson & Johnson vaccine: FDA report finds single-shot vaccine to be safe, effective
“What people need to take into consideration is not just how effective a vaccine is in preventing COVID disease, but particularly preventing severe COVID disease and death,” she said.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been show to be 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 infection and is currently being reviewed by the FDA.
Mercy Health St. Mary's in Grand Rapids has 7 COVID-19 inpatients right now according to the hospital.
The post goes on to recommend the continued use of masks, social distancing and hand washing to keep community members safe.
SEE MORE: WATCH: Mercy Health officials discuss COVID-19 vaccination progress
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