(WWJ) Michigan is experiencing a pace of coronavirus infections not seen in months.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports 6,095 new cases over the two-day period of Thursday and Friday or an average of just under 3,050 cases per day.
Fifteen new deaths have been reported since Wednesday afternoon. The MDHHS identified an additional 44 from weeks or months ago through a review of vital records.
The last time Michigan has seen more than 3,000 cases per day was early May.
Nearly 1,360 adults are hospitalized with a confirmed case of the virus, according to MDHHS. About 600 of them are inpatients in the metro Detroit area (Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Monroe counties).
20 Michigan children (0-18) are hospitalized with COVID-19.
The hospitalized adults include 382 in the Intensive Care Unit and 180 on ventilators.
COVID-19 primarily inflicted the greatest harm on the elderly, or those who were chronically ill or immunocompromised, in the earlier days of the pandemic.
However, more recent data from the CDC shows the age gap shrinking among hospitalizations.
In the graph below; the red line represents 65+ year-olds; the dark blue line, 50 to 64; and the teal line, 18 to 49.
Hospitalizations per 100,000 by age groupCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
For the week of September 4, CDC data showed a Michigan hospitalization rate of 3.7 people per 100,000 in the 18-49 age group; 11.4 in the 50-64 age group; and 15.9 in 65+.
During our peak in early December 2020 (before the vaccine), the hospitalization rate was 7.1 per 100,000 for 18 to 49 year olds, 30.9 for 50-64, and 90.2 among 65+.
Experts believe the Delta variant may be to blame for the shifting demographic.
The total number of cases reported in Michigan since the beginning of the pandemic is 970,412. More than 20,500 deaths have been attributed to the virus, a fatality rate of 2.1%.
887,790 Michigan residents are considered survivors of COVID-19 after living 30 days since testing positive.
The federal government reports fully vaccinated individuals make up about 3% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 nationwide.
MDHHS has not released any hard data on the vaccination status of the hospitalized in Michigan. However, Bridge Magazine reports the Henry Ford health system said the fully vaccinated represent about 15-20% of people being treated for COVID-19 at their hospitals.
The CDC reported Friday that the unvaccinated were 11 times more likely to die from the virus.
More than 66% of Michiganders 16+ and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard.
