LANSING, Mich. (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalizations in Michigan surpassed 3,000 for the first time in more than six months Monday amid a fourth surge of infections, while state officials celebrated reaching a key vaccination goal.
The number of adults hospitalized with confirmed cases was 3,040. That was up from 2,111 two weeks earlier, a sharp 44% rise that — combined with a weekly case rate that was eight-highest in the U.S. — led health leaders to again plead with people to get vaccinated.
“In the face of such alarming numbers, it’s as important as ever for everyone to take the proper precautionary measures to keep themselves, their loved ones, and their friends and neighbors safe and protected,” Dr. Pino Colone, president of the Michigan State Medical Society, said in a statement. “Nothing is more important in the fight against COVID-19 than vaccines.”
Michigan, which peaked at more than 4,100 hospitalizations in April, recorded 21,000 additional infections over a three-day period and 95 deaths.
The state health department reported a 70% first-dose vaccination rate among residents 16 and older. Officials who targeted hitting that milestone by year’s end had hoped to reach it sooner than now. About 63% of those 12 and up are fully vaccinated.
“The vaccine continues to be how we will return to normalcy in the state, and we thank all of those who have done their part to end this pandemic,” said Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
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