Michigan hospitals see increasing numbers of younger COVID-19 patients: report

Michigan is seeing an increasing number of serious cases of COVID-19 among younger adults, stressing the state’s hospital system, according to an organization of community hospitals.

The Michigan Health and Hospital Associate (MHA) told The New York Times the rate of hospitalizations of coronavirus patients in their 30s and 40s is double the numbers the state saw during a pandemic peak last fall.

The Hill has reached out to MHA for more information about the data.

The Times notes the surge of younger patients comes as more older Americans are fully vaccinated. But higher rates of vaccination doesn’t fully explain the increase, the Times says, pointing to new, more contagious variants spreading among young people.

Michigan is facing the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases per capita of any state in the country; the state’s governor has called for the public to exercise caution and responsibility to slow the spread of the virus while pointing to successful GOP legal challenges to her previous COVID-19 restrictions as a reason why she has not implemented new statewide efforts to slow the virus’s spread.

In October the state’s Supreme Court handed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) a defeat on the issue and ruled that she could not continue extending a state of emergency order under which she had implemented lockdowns.

The state did see its test positivity rate drop by more than 10 percent over a 7-day period ending last week, a sign that Michigan’s surge may be abating at least somewhat.

As of Thursday, roughly a third of the state’s adult population was vaccinated, according to state health officials.