Michigan is seeing an “alarming increase” in hospitalizations among young adults who are less likely to be vaccinated, according to inpatient data collected by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
In the past three weeks, the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has more than doubled, from about 824 on March 1 compared to 1,687 reported on Tuesday, March 23. Currently, 356 coronavirus patients are in the ICU, an increase of 58% compared to 225 in the ICU on March 1.
The increases are being driven by younger adults: since March 1, hospitalizations have increased 633% for adults aged 30-39 and 800% for adults aged 40-49, says the MHA.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations for people aged 80 and over increased by 37%. About 44% of people in this age group are fully vaccinated and more than two thirds have received at least one dose.
Graphic courtesy of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
“The correlation between high vaccination rates and lower hospitalization growth rates shows the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and how it protects against the risk of serious illness or hospitalization,” says an MHA press release.
The data also indicates that, although the elderly still have a higher risk of hospitalizations, the percentage of hospitalized patients under 40 has doubled, showing that adults of any age are vulnerable to the complications of the disease, the statement said.
“Michigan is making progress to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing vaccination rates, but the war is not over yet,” said Dr. Gary Roth, chief medical officer of the MHA. “Now is not the time to let your guard down and risk contracting COVID-19 with more contagious variants emerging and vaccines becoming widely available.
“My recipe for all Michiganders is to wear a mask, wash your hands, avoid crowds and, when it’s your turn, get the vaccine. You must continue to take preventive measures even after being vaccinated, because it takes at least two weeks for full protection of a vaccine to take effect after the last dose, and it will take some time to vaccinate everyone ”.
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