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Michigan to ramp up COVID-19 testing as it becomes a hot spot for cases in the U.S.

Posted at 6:24 AM, Apr 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-01 06:24:09-04

Michigan is now being considered a new hot spot for coronavirus cases in the United States. The state has the worst COVID-19 infection rate of any state in the last week.

On Tuesday, Michigan reported a daily total of more than 5,000 new cases and 48 new deaths, 20 of which were identified in a review of vital records.

Related: CDC: Michigan has worst COVID-19 infection rate of any state in the country

According to the CDC, Michigan has 361 cases for every 100,000 people, putting us higher than New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Vaccinations are continuing, and the mass vaccination site at Ford Field has been open for nearly a week.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that testing is being ramped up to help slow the spread.

That means schools, airports, nursing homes and more will see additional testing, on-site.

More specifically, more than 1.4 million antigen tests are en route to long-term care facilities, and beginning April 2, testing starts for student-athletes.

New public health orders are also in effect through the end of May for Detroit and Wayne County, citing a 235% increase in COVID-19 cases since mid-February.

One of the concerns is the new variants of the virus.

The order allows for remote meetings, but in-person meetings must be fewer than 25 members and CDC protocols must be followed.

The goal is still to vaccinate about 5,000 people a day at Ford Field, but FEMA External Affairs Specialist Dan Shulman said there are people who are missing their appointments, leaving vaccines.

"At the end of the day, one of our goals is zero waste. We don't want to waste a single dose of vaccine," he said.