Coronavirus case levels remain “elevated plateaus,” says Michigan epidemiologists

Lansing, Michigan-Members of the COVID-19 Oversight Committee in Michigan wanted to know what data Governor Gretchen Whitmer would use in her decision.

That’s why state epidemiologist Dr. Saralyon Caro gave a nearly two-hour data presentation Wednesday morning, which Congressman Vanessa Gera of D. Saginau called “one of the most informative sessions this committee has heard.” ..

Lyon Caro and Robert Gordon, Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan, testified on September 23 in front of a joint selection committee on the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the more pointed exchanges, Senator Kimura Sata, R-Bainbridge Twp, told Lyon Caro and Gordon why most of the states aren’t in Phase 5 or not the least restrictive phase of Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan. Asked. This is the whole state Allow capacity expansion in the gym Opening of amusement places such as Movie theater..

Related: Michigan cinema pleads to reopen before it’s too late

Related: Not allowed as Jim will resume under Governor Whitmer’s latest order

In Lyon Caro’s presentation slides, Gordon pointed out that the state’s per million cases are on the “plateau,” not falling enough to give Whitmer confidence to change phases.

“The decision is based on multiple factors,” Gordon said. “As Dr. Lyon Caro said, they include levels of epidemiological spread, positive rates, hospitalization rates, disease monitoring, and looking at the case levels we have across the state, we Is the place where

Gordon pointed out a graph showing that the number of cases per million is lower than at the peak of the disease in April and May, but the number remains higher than the levels seen in June.

View 7-day moving average As of Tuesday, September 22 In Michigan, 675 new cases and 10 new deaths were reported per day. A week ago, the state had an average of 767 new cases and 10 new deaths per day. The average number of cases on June 13 is 150.

With that data that Lyon-Callo provides to Whitmer weekly, her epidemiological team has time to determine how recently lifted restrictions affected infection rates. I need it.

“If you make a change, it takes two weeks to understand what the change did,” Lyon-Callo said. “With that in mind, we try to make gradual changes.”

It’s been three weeks since Whitmer allowed him to drive at 25% capacity in gyms outside northern Michigan. Lisa Caro, who continued to be dissatisfied with the ban on reopening some companies, said that the medical community is still learning about the spread of COVID-19, so caution is needed.

“COVID-19 is a new virus for humans. Lyon Caro has been dealing with this problem for less than a year, but there are still many things we don’t understand.” Seen in Michigan in the spring about infectious diseases. As such, it can cause exponential growth. We didn’t have enough testing in the spring, so we can see how many cases we actually counted. We’re in that situation. I don’t want to go there again. “

Senator Arrow Nesbitt, R-Lawton asked Why the casino was allowed to open.. Gordon says the state does not have the legal authority to limit tribal casinos, so the three people under Detroit’s state jurisdiction are not enough to effectively monitor COVID-19 precautions. Said that.

“It’s possible for them to clean the doorways and see them,” Gordon said. “With thousands of arcades across the state, it’s much harder to oversee their standards.”

Related: Michigan casinos operate with limited capacity, so state officials are moving ahead with the launch of online gambling.

Other interesting data points that emerged from the testimony:

• Nesbitt asked Lyon Caro about the average waiting time for test results to return to the patient. The average was about 2.9 days, but “it could be longer without the right samples,” she said.
• Less than 3% of patients visiting emergency rooms throughout the state report COVID-19-like symptoms, Lyon Caro said. The only region where its numbers are increasing is the Upper Peninsula. According to Lyon-Caro, cases of COVID-19 are not necessarily increasing at a higher rate than in other states because the symptoms resemble pneumonia and flu.
• School outbreaks are defined as two or more people testing for illness, according to Lyon Caro. Rep. Matt Hall, chairman of R-Marshall, asked why school outbreak information was not provided daily. Lyon Caro said MDHHS has delegated outbreak notifications to the local health department, and the task of updating the status database daily would move away from other tasks that department is doing.

COVID-19 Prevention Tips:

In addition to Wash your hands regularly and do not touch your face, Authorities recommend keeping social distances, assuming someone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should work at home at least 6 feet away from others if possible.

use Disinfecting wipe Or Disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently touched surfaces In your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and Carry a hand sanitizer with you When you go to a place like a store.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also issued an executive order requiring people to wear it Face covering over mouth and noseWhile in public indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces. Please refer to Explanation of the meaning here..

For additional information, Michigan.gov/Coronavirus And CDC.gov/Coronavirus..

For more information on COVID-19 in Michigan, please visit: https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/..

Read more about MLive:

Thousands more deaths from pandemics in Michigan than official

WMU reports 72 new cases of coronavirus. The university currently has 235 infections

Twenty-three students in 10 buildings at the University of Michigan test positive for COVID-19, public health notices say

Coronavirus cases more than tripled among Michigan residents under the age of 25 since July 5

Outbreaks in schools and universities in Michigan have so far infected more than 1,400 students and staff, state reports