8,496 new COVID-19 cases, 46 virus deaths over past three days – The Oakland Press
Michigan public health officials reported Monday 8,496 new COVID-19 cases and 46 additional virus deaths over the past three days.
The three-day case total brought the state’s total confirmed cases and deaths to 1,090,021 and 21,609 deaths since the onset of the pandemic.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), those totals represent testing data collected Thursday and Friday. MDHHS publishes new case, death, and vaccination numbers every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with new outbreak-related data published every Monday.
Of the 46 deaths reported, 15 were identified during a vital records review. Over the past three days, the state has averaged 2,832 cases per day per 100,000 residents, down from 4,149 cases per day per 100,000 residents Oct. 14-15, a 31% decrease.
The state’s 7-day COVID-19 average case and testing positivity rates continue to remain high due to the spread of the Delta variant among unvaccinated residents, including children.
Michigan’s 7-day average case rate is 241 cases per day per 100,000 residents, a decrease from the previous 7 days at 301. The state remains in the high community transmission category, which is defined by the CDC as averaging at least 100 new cases per day per 100,000 population over a 7-day period.
The state’s 7-day average testing positivity rate continues to average between 8-10%. The CDC is also reporting that 77% of all U.S. counties have high community transmission levels, which is a 10% decrease compared to a week ago. All 83 Michigan counties remain in high transmission.
Over the past 7 days, Oakland County is averaging 212 cases per day per 100,000 residents, which is a 4% decrease over the previous 7 days, according to the CDC. Wayne County’s 7-day average case rate is 203 cases per day per 100,000 residents, a 11% increase over the previous 7 days while Macomb County’s 7-day case rate has increased 9% over the previous 7 days to 281 cases per day per 100,000 residents.
Hospitalizations
Statewide, there are over 2,000 Michiganders hospitalized with confirmed positive COVID-19, the majority being in southeast Michigan, with over 80% of the state’s hospital beds occupied.
Last week, MDHHS reported that the percentage of inpatient hospital beds occupied by individuals with COVID-19 was 9.3%, up from 8% the previous week. This percentage has been increasing for 12 weeks.
MDHHS also reported that the volume of COVID-19 patients in intensive care had increased 15% over the previous week last while the number of emergency department visits had increased 4.9% over the previous week, with new hospital admissions increasing last week for most age groups. The biggest week-over-week new admission rate increases were among the 12-17 and 60-69 age groups with increases totaling 85% and 47% respectively.
The 7-day average of new cases per day among children ages 10-19 is 596. This is the highest case rate, by far, of all age groups.
Michigan hospitals are averaging about 34 pediatric, under 18 years old, admissions per day with over 50% of children hospitalized with COVID-19 having no reported underlying conditions. Each day, more than 425 children under age 12 become infected with COVID-19, which is 50 more children per day than last week.
The 7-day average pediatric case rate, which includes children 12 and younger, increased to 305.6 cases per day last week compared to 269.4 cases per day the previus week.
Oakland County hospitals have seen a 17% derease in the number of new COVID-19 admissions, 198 patients, compared to the previous 7 days, according to the CDC. Wayne County hospitals had seen a 6% decrease in the number of new COVID-19 admissions compared to the previous 7 days totaling 214 patients while Macomb County hospitals had seen a 29% decrease in the number of new COVID-19 admissions compared to the previous 7 days with 60 patients.
Vaccine coverage
The state’s vaccination coverage rate for residents 16 and older is 68.4% with over 5.5 million residents receiving at least one dose. The vaccination coverage rate for residents 12 and older is 63.3%.
Vaccine coverage rates included 41.3% for those aged 12-15, 48.7% for those aged 16-19, 46.8% for those aged 20-29, and 57% for those aged 30-39.
Among the older groups, vaccination rates are 60.6% for those aged 40-49, 71.1% for those aged 50-64, 85.1% for residents aged 65-74, and 81.6% for Michiganders aged 75 and older.
Over 350,000 booster and third doses have been administered statewide with the majority administered to Michiganders age 50 and older.
Breakthrough cases
Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 5, MDHHS reported 38,571 breakthrough cases, which accounts for less than 1% of people who were fully vaccinated. These are people confirmed to have COVID-19 at least 14 days after being fully vaccinated.
Of those breakthrough cases, 1,412 cases were hospitalized and 574 individuals died (504 were age 65 and older).
New MDHHS data shows that between Jan. 15 and Oct. 5, 93.7% of all new cases statewide were among people not fully vaccinated (488,965 of 521,767). Of the 14,924 Michiganders hospitalized with COVID-19 during this time period, 13,512 or 90.5% were not fully vaccinated.
In addition, 90.8% of all COVID-19 deaths during this time (5,662 of 6,236) were among people not fully vaccinated.
Between Sept. 6 and Oct. 4, all new cases, hospitalizations and deaths reported statewide accounted for 16%, 24%, and 28% of Michigan’s fully vaccinated population.
Schools
On Monday, MDHHS reported 101 new K-12 school outbreaks and clusters involving 858 cases.
MDHHS recently revised its definition of a school-associated outbreak and a school-associated cluster to promote consistent reporting amongst states. A school-associated outbreak relies on exposure linkage between cases where there is a confirmed epidemiologically link in the school setting or a school-sanctioned extracurricular activity. A school-associated cluster accounts for cases where a definitive exposure linkage has not been established, but where there is no likely known epidemiologic link to a case outside of the school setting.
Moving forward, MDHHS will report clusters and outbreaks as combined totals every Monday. For example, MDHHS reported Monday an outbreak and cluster at Eisenhower High School in Macomb County involving 53 cases among students and staff.
Currently, 60% of Michigan’s public school students in over 200 school districts are required to wear face masks indoors under 10 local health department orders including: Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa (K-6); Benzie-Leelanau, Health Department Northwest, Oakland, and Wayne (K-12); and Genesee, Ingham, and Washtenaw (preK-12).
MDHHS is continuing to report school districts with fewer mask rules saw higher case rates and faster case rises than districts with mask rules in place. The largest case increases during and following back-to-school have been among 5-18 year olds.
As of Oct. 1, an informal survey of local health departments identified 104 schools where learning time was directly impacted by COVID-19 including closed schools, closed classrooms, and student quarantines.
Booster/third doses
Last week, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee voted in favor of recommending second and third doses for the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine recipients.
The second J&J dose is recommended at least two months following the first dose and the Moderna third dose, which will be a half dose, is recommended at least six months following the second dose. This is only a recommendation, with the FDA and the CDC required to sign off on the additional doses before they can be administered to eligible groups.
The National Institutes of Health recently published a study that adds some weight to the idea of mixing vaccines. The study says people who got vaccinated with the J&J vaccine might be better protected if they got a booster shot with the Moderna or Pfizer’s mRNA doses. But there are some questions about this study, too.
The results included people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a Moderna booster produced a 76-fold increase in antibodies within 15 days; People who got the Johnson & Johnson shot and a Pfizer booster saw a 35-fold increase in antibodies within 15 days; and people who took a second Johnson & Johnson shot also benefitted but only got a four-fold increase in antibodies.
Drugmaker Merck has asked U.S. regulators to authorize its at-home pill for treating mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in what would add an entirely new and easy-to-use weapon to the world’s arsenal against the pandemic.
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat the illness. All other FDA-backed treatments against COVID-19 require an IV or injection.
Last week, Pfizer submitted research to the FDA on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5-11. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet Oct. 26 to consider granting that emergency use authorization.
Later this year, the drugmaker and its partner, Germany’s BioNTech, plan to submit initial vaccine data to the FDA, for children aged 6 months to four years, to consider for emergency use authorization.
Right now, Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine third doses are available to all Americans age 65 and older, individuals 18 and older living in long-term care facilities, individuals 18-64 years of age at high-risk for severe COVID-19 with underlying medical conditions, and individuals 18 through 64 years of age whose jobs put them at increased risk of virus exposure and transmission, including health care workers, first responders, education staff, food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers, correctional workers, postal service workers, public transit workers, and grocery store workers.
Everyone included in these groups must be at least six months out from their Pfizer second dose to receive the third shot. The list of eligible third dose recipients could be updated in the future.
In August, Pfizer and Moderna booster doses were granted emergency-use authorization for immunocompromised Americans such as organ transplant, active cancer, and HIV patients at least four weeks out from their two-dose series as well as those 65 years of age and older or those at high-risk of severe illness.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report
