Federal health officials recommend wearing a mask indoors, whether you’re vaccinated against COVID-19 or not, when community transmission reaches a “high” or “substantial” level, as determined by case and positive test rates.
In Michigan, 81 out of 83 counties fall under that guidance as of Monday, Aug. 23.
The state had about a dozen counties in the “moderate” or “low” risk levels last week, but that number continues to decline. By Monday, only Roscommon and Missaukee counties fell below the transmission threshold to recommend indoor masking for everyone.
Michigan has 59 counties with “high” coronavirus transmission risk, meaning there are more than 100 new COVID-19 cases per week per 100,000 people, and/or a positive test rate of 10% or higher. Those counties are spread throughout both peninsulas and all eight regions.
There are also 20 counties with transmission rated “substantial,” meaning 50 to 99 new cases per week per 100,000 people, and/or a test positivity of 8% to 9.9%. They include Antrim, Benzie, Chippewa, Crawford, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Ingham, Iron, Isabella, Marquette, Mecosta, Midland, Newaygo, Oceana, Oscoda, Presque Isle, Sanilac, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wexford.
Below is a map indicating the transmission level of each Michigan county based on the CDC standards, using data as of Wednesday. Red and orange counties indicate high and substantial transmission, while yellow indicates moderate and blue indicates low transmission.
(Can’t see the map? Click here)
As a state, Michigan moved up to “high” transmission last week. Its latest case rate was 120.6 per week per 100,000 residents. Nationally, the U.S. has 48 states in the red, with the exception of Maine and Vermont (both substantial).
Two weeks ago, there were 17 high counties, 42 substantial counties, 20 moderate counties and four considered “low” for coronavirus transmission in Michigan. Since then, the seven-day averages for the state have jumped from 938 cases and four deaths per day to 1,492 cases and 15 deaths reported per day.
The latest data is based on case rates for Aug. 15 through Aug. 21, and positive test rates for Aug. 13 through Aug. 19. The most updated data is available through the CDC’s COVID data tracker, here.
In May, the CDC said fully vaccinated individuals no longer needed to wear masks indoors, leaving room for some exceptions like hospitals. Non-vaccinated individuals were still recommended to mask-up indoors, but masks could come off outdoors without much risk.
However, officials later updated their guidance with the more infectious delta variant causing cases to spike nationwide. Federal health officials came up with a four-level system that allows communities to gauge their community spread and mask-up accordingly.
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