Coronavirus cases in Michigan are on the rise amid the state’s recent vaccination efforts, the data show.
On Tuesday, the state saw about 2,048 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, with most counties in the state reporting new cases, according to official data. To date, Michigan has recorded more than 676,000 cases of the new disease and about 16,805 deaths, with 27 new deaths registered just on Tuesday.
The state’s positivity rate is around 8.6%, the highest since the beginning of January, the data show.
As for the state’s vaccination effort, just over 2 million people in the state have been vaccinated, with about 3.1 million doses administered to date. For contextual purposes, the state’s total population is about 8 million, by state health estimates.
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In an effort to vaccinate as many people as possible in the state, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) officials announced last week that the state is expanding vaccination eligibility to 16-year-old state residents. or more with disabilities or disabilities medical conditions that put them at high risk for serious results if they contract COVID-19. This group is eligible from 22 March. The move is an effort to help the state achieve its goal of vaccinating 70% of Michigan residents age 16 and older.
Then, as of April 5, all residents of the state over the age of 16 will become eligible for the vaccine, officials said in a press release. The move comes in response to President Joe Biden’s directive that all adults must be eligible for the vaccine by May 1.
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“The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect you, your family and others from the virus,” said Governor Whitmer, in a statement. “This will help the country get back to normal and help the economy. Almost 1 million Michiganders of all races have already been vaccinated safely. I urge all Michiganders eligible to receive one of the three COVID-19 vaccines. It is essential to get our country back to normal so we can all hug our families, go back to work, go to restaurants, send our kids to school, play sports and get together again. And as always: mask, practice safe social distance and avoid large spaces closed meetings where COVID-19 can easily spread from person to person. Let’s eliminate this virus together. “
Overall, more than 72 million Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to date, while more than 39 million are considered to be fully vaccinated, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).