Michigan’s daily hospital admissions among young adults with COVID-19 are now at levels seen in early December, when coronavirus hospitalizations peaked in the state, says the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
There were 34 COVID-19 patients in their 40s admitted as hospitalized patients on Thursday, March 25, which is more than the average of 33 admissions at the peak of the fall peak, said Jim Lee, vice president of MHA for data policy and analysis.
Also on Thursday, 25 patients with COVID-19 in their 30s were admitted to the hospital on Thursday, compared to a peak of 26 during the fall.
The numbers are also surprising for the speed with which they have grown since March 1, when only three people in their 20s and three in their 40s were admitted to Michigan hospitals for COVID-19, he said.
“I am extremely concerned,” said Lee. “It is disturbing to look at it from a data perspective. … the speed with which we are growing and growing in hospitalizations is alarming. It is just as bad, if not worse than what we saw in the falling wave.
“The only potential mitigating factor I see is that we have so many vaccinated individuals in Michigan, which can help to decrease how high we can get in terms of total hospitalizations,” he said.
In fact, vaccinations are most likely the reason why hospitalizations have decreased for older adults compared to the increase in falls, and have decreased most for the elderly, who were the most vulnerable to being hospitalized for severe COVID-19 and who are now having the highest vaccination rates for any age group.
At the peak of the falling wave, an average of 129 people aged 80 and over were being admitted to the hospital. This compares to 29 on Thursday.
Graphic courtesy of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
About two-thirds of people aged 65 and over received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 18% of people in their 30s and 40s.
MHA officials said they had not heard reports of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Michigan among those who were partially or fully vaccinated.
The MHA figures refer to new hospital admissions and do not include those who have been hospitalized for more than a day. On Thursday, 1,858 people were hospitalized in Michigan by COVID-19, including 379 in intensive care units. Hospitalizations include 15 children in pediatric wards.
At the current rate, Lee said Michigan will likely have 2,500 hospitalized for COVID within a week. At the peak of the fall peak, about 4,300 were hospitalized.
Where hospitalizations can peak at this increase “is a billion dollar issue,” said Lee. “We shouldn’t see the same increase in hospitalizations in the fall, mainly because we did a great job of vaccinating individuals who are most at risk of hospitalization. , especially those 65 and older. ”
But a big unknown is the spread of coronavirus variants, which are much more contagious and can also cause more serious illnesses, Lee said.
Although state health officials say the variants have not yet become the dominant strain in Michigan, Lee suspects that this plays a big role in the rapid increase in hospitalizations.
“It is not known whether the variants will have an even more severe impact than we think on the younger population and those who have not been vaccinated,” he said. “So it is difficult to say what it will be like a month from now.”
“The good news is that these patients tend to have less severe cases. They tend not to be the ones who end up in the ICU or on ventilators, “said Lee.” But still, it consumes resources and we don’t want these individuals to show up in our hospitals, especially for something we know can be avoided by taking measures public health, such as masking. ”
It is clear that the pandemic is not over yet, he said, and it is yet another reason for people to double up wearing masks and indoor social gatherings.
“Just because you can go into a restaurant doesn’t mean” is a good idea, Lee said. “Everyone should evaluate these locations and see if it is safe.”
The best and most effective way to reduce hospitalizations is through vaccines, he said. “Obviously, when you are eligible for a vaccine, please get an injection.”
Read more about MLive:
6 reasons why Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers are increasing
How to Find a COVID-19 Vaccination Consultation in Michigan
Pharmacies help increase coronavirus vaccines in Michigan