Michigan is seeing an “alarming increase” in hospitalizations among younger adults who are less likely to be vaccinated, according to inpatient data collected by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
In the past three weeks, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has more than doubled, from about 824 on March 1 compared to 1,687 reported Tuesday, March 23. Currently, 356 coronavirus patients are in ICUs, a 58% increase compared to the 225 in ICUs on March 1.
The increases are being driven by younger adults: Since March 1, hospitalizations increased by 633% for adults ages 30-39 and by 800% for adults ages 40-49, the MHA says.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations for those age 80 and older are up 37%. About 44% of people in that age group are fully vaccinated and more than two-thirds have had at least one dose.
Graphic courtesy of Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
“The correlation between high vaccination rates and lower hospitalization growth rates shows the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and how it protects from the risk of severe disease or hospitalization,” a MHA press release says.
The data also indicates that, although older adults still have a higher risk of hospitalizations, the percentage of hospitalized patients who are younger than 40 years old has doubled, showing that adults of any age are vulnerable to complications from the disease, the press release said.
“Michigan is making progress at ultimately defeating the COVID-19 pandemic through increasing vaccination rates, but the war is not yet over,” said Dr. Gary Roth, MHA chief medical officer. “Now is not the time to let our guard down and risk contracting COVID-19 with more contagious variants emerging and vaccines becoming widely available.
“My prescription to all Michiganders is to wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid crowds and when it is your turn, get your vaccine. You must continue to take preventive measures even after you’re vaccinated because it takes at least two weeks for a vaccine’s full protection to kick in following the last dose, and it will take time to vaccinate everyone.”
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