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Michigan breaks record for daily COVID cases, here's why you still need to get tested

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(WXYZ) — Michigan has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases that our state has seen during the entire duration of the pandemic.

Pandemic fatigue has crossed paths with two different virus variants – Delta and Omicron. I think people heard that Omicron was going to take over and it wasn’t as severe as Delta, so they let their guard down.

Michigan’s numbers were already high from the Delta variant, and now we’ve got Omicron - which is not only extremely contagious, but people are getting sick faster. Experts say symptoms can show up within a couple of days.

RELATED: Michigan breaks record of new daily COVID-19 cases, totaling 25,858 over 2-day period

Many patients and families were being extra careful and did rapid testing before gathering with others. Today we heard from the FDA that these tests may be less sensitive in detecting Omicron. So people could have been positive but the rapid tests showed that they were negative. All of these factors together could be what’s driving these COVID-19 cases.

You have to be careful with rapid antigen testing. They are less likely to pick up early infections. If you don’t have symptoms but are planning on gathering with others, take a few rapid tests over several days. Be sure to test on the day people are meeting up, preferably an hour or two before. If you have symptoms, even minor ones, and you take a test and it’s negative - don’t assume you are virus-free. Stay home and re-test in two to three days.

Please do not intentionally put your health at risk. Patients have told me that they want to get the virus and be done with it

Get vaccinated and then get boosted when it’s time. Get your children vaccinated that are ages five and up. Also, wear a mask when out - double masking or an N95 is best. Don’t forget to sanitize or wash your hands and social distance if you can.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

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