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State identifies 28 cases of new COVID-19 variant in Washtenaw, Wayne counties

Coronavirus
Posted at 4:57 PM, Feb 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-04 16:57:02-05

(WXYZ) — COVID-19 cases in Michigan have been declining steadily over the past 24 days, Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said during a press conference Thursday.

Detroit, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula regions are all at less than 150 cases per million.

Additionally, Khaldun said the test positivity rate is now at 4.9%, the lowest it's been since mid-October. The percent of hospital beds utilized by COVID-19 patients is also declining, now at 6.6%.

However, Khaldun said Michiganders must continue to be careful due to the new variant, which is more easily spread from person to person. If the variant becomes more common, Michigan could see a very rapid rise in cases and hospitalizations.

So far, the state has identified 28 cases of the variant in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Khaldun said there will likely be more. The state is working closely with local health departments to identify any potential outbreaks.

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