(WWJ) The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a patient with the India COVID-19 variant (B.1.617) near Lansing.
The case was identified in Clinton County, immediately north of Lansing. No further details have been released about the age of the patient, his or her condition, or travel history.
This comes as the White House has announced plans to restrict travel from India starting on May 4 (Tuesday), because of a "devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus."
Little is known about the B.1.617 variant-- which has two known major mutations--including how much it's to blame for the crisis in India.
The National Geographic reports, while the variant is more "adaptive" than previous iterations of the virus; human behavior is likely just as much of a factor in the devastating surge India is currently seeing. Tight living quarters and low vaccination rates may also play a role.
Only 10% of cases identified from test samples in India are the variant, according to the National Geographic. The rest are other iterations of the virus.
The BBC reports 127 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in India as of April 20. The total population is over one billion people. That's about 10% of the population that has received a COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Comparatively, in the United States, more than 55% of the population 16+ have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
More data is needed to determine if current vaccines are as effective against the India variant (preliminary evidence suggests they are), or if the variant is more deadly.
This comes as Michigan reports 3,440 new cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional deaths. Just under 3,000 adults and nearly 50 children are hospitalized with a confirmed case of the virus.
845 people Michiganders are in the Intensive Care Unit with COVID-19 and nearly 530 are on ventilators.
Nearly 627,000 Michiganders are considered recovered from the virus after surviving 30 days since testing positive.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard says half of Michigan residents have received at least one dose, while nearly 40% are fully vaccinated against the virus.
This is a developing story. Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 on air, online and on the Audacy app as we learn more information.
