LANSING, Mich. — It's been almost two weeks since Thanksgiving, and COVID case numbers in Michigan continue to rise, reflecting the impact of holiday gatherings.
A report released Tuesday by the Ingham County Health Department noted case rates are "now at the same level as they were this time last year."
In November of 2020 there were 46 COVID-related deaths in Ingham County, which is consistent with this past November's 45. The difference is in mortality rates. There have been 12 COVID-related deaths in the county in the past week. December 2020 had a total of 83.
Health Officer Linda Vail said it's still too early to tell how significantly this year's holiday gatherings will impact case numbers in the county.
"We were already trending upwards. It didn’t change the overall trend in a way that would allow us to point to anything at this point," Vail wrote in a statement.
The report also says the omicron variant could be more contagious than other variants but also less severe.
In the past week, Ingham County has had 1,427 new cases, making for a total of 5,646 cases.
There are about 1,100 cases in Clinton County, Jackson County has about 4,500 cases and, as of Nov. 30, Eaton County had 722 cases.
An Eaton County vaccination reportreleased Monday stated that "nearly everyone who got COVID-19 in November was unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated."
Eaton County has the highest vaccination rate in mid-Michigan, with 71.6 percent, followed by Ingham County with 67 percent, Clinton County with 64.5 percent and Jackson County with 57.2 percent.
The impact is also being felt across schools. Last week the Lansing School District had 67 new cases, Okemos had 28 and Holt, 32. At Bath Public Schools there were 27 new cases in the last week, with 64 quarantined. St. Johns County School District has 28 cases, DeWitt Public Schools has 20 andJackson Public Schools has 32.
Everyone 18 years or older is eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot as long as it has been at least six months since your second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, or at least two months since your dose of Johnson & Johnson.
There will be COVID-19 vaccine community clinics in St. Johns Wednesday at Clinton County Smith Hall and in Lansing Thursday and Friday at the Epicenter of Worship.
More upcoming community clinics can be found here.
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