DETROIT (WWJ) -- The city of Detroit is now officially at a “high” level of COVID-19 transmission.
The transmission rate rose from a “substantial” level of transmission next week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC considers transmission to be high when there are 100 or more weekly new cases of the virus per 100,000 people.
Currently, Detroit has about 116.5 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents.
Detroit health officials say the Delta variant makes up more than 97% of the new COVID-19 cases in the community. The CDC says the Delta variant may be more than twice as transmissible as the original strain of COVID-19.
The city says this “indicated an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19.”
The CDC recommends that Detroiters and other individuals in regions with high community transmission levels should wear masks at all public indoor settings, even if they are fully vaccinated.
“Due to the high community transmission, it is now more important than ever to wear your mask in public indoor settings. Detroit has come a long way and we don’t want to go back. We are asking residents to get tested if you suspect you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, and get vaccinated,” said Detroit Health Department Chief Public Health Officer, Denise Fair. “These are public health emergency measures that will limit hospitalization and death.”
About 373,000 Detroiters have received at least one dose of the COVID-19, or about 43.9% of the city’s population.
The rise in the city’s transmission level comes as the state of Michigan announced just under 7,2000 new cases of the virus and 26 new deaths over the last three days. That amounts to just under 2,400 new cases per day.
State health officials have identified 98 new COVID-19 outbreaks at schools across Michigan, added to 129 outbreaks from last week. The school outbreaks account for more than 1,700 cases.
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