(WXYZ) — State officials are "cautiously optimistic" about COVID-19 case trends in Michigan.
Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said the state is seeing declines in all metrics. Cases are currently at 560 cases per million people; this number has been trending downwards for the past 22 days.
Additionally, she said trends are declining in all areas of the state. Hospitalizations are also declining.
The percent positivity rate is currently at 12.3%, a decrease in the past seven days.
Dr. Khaldun said this means there was not a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases.
"Many Michiganders did their part in keeping the virus down over the holidays," she said.
However, case rates still remain alarmingly high; the percent of tests that are positive is four times the rate it was at the beginning of September, Dr. Khaldun said.
Despite high case rates, officials say there is a "new era" in fighting the pandemic with the arrival of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
"As more and more people get the vaccine, we'll start to see fewer cases and fewer lives lost," Dr. Khaldun said.
