Michigan ticks another record: 4,229 hospitalized with COVID-19

Michigan ticked another record during the pandemic, reporting 4,229 hospitalized adults and children across the state with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The fourth surge led by the delta variant of the virus picked up speed in recent weeks, leading to the high number of hospitalizations as of Monday.

The state plans to release the number of cases accumulated before the Thanksgiving holiday through Monday later this afternoon. The state reported 17,003 new COVID cases between Nov. 23-24 and 280 deaths, including 143 reported during record reviews. As of Nov. 24, the statewide positivity rate rose to nearly 18 percent, only a few percent from record highs during the early days of the pandemic last year.

Of those currently hospitalized with the deadly virus, 48 are pediatric cases and 903 are in the intensive care unit. There are 577 COVID patients on ventilators.

Due to the rise across Michigan, the federal government approved medical staff from the U.S. Department of Defense to be deployed at Beaumont Health in Dearborn and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. Each hospital is expected to host 22 military doctors and nurses for as long as 30 days starting this week.

A few rural hospitals across the state, including War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie and Munson in Traverse City, have also asked the state to request military personnel on their behalf.

The sharp rise in hospitalizations come as concerns over a new variant emerged late last week.

The variant — B.1.1.529, colloquially named omicron — was identified in South Africa last week and has already spread to several other countries, including Israel, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and a handful of European countries.

Little is known about the variant, but it appears to be more transmissible than the delta variant driving the current surge in the U.S. and Michigan.

The U.S. joined Canada and the European union Monday by restricting travel from seven African nations — South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. Only U.S. residents will be allowed to travel to and from those nations. In Canada, foreign citizens are banned from entering the nation if they had traveled to those countries in the past two weeks.

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This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain's Detroit Business.