Michigan health officials said the COVID situation in Michigan has reached a critical point.
The state’s supply of extra ventilators has been deployed and health officials have requested 200 more from the national stockpile.
In the past month, nearly a quarter of all new COVID hospitalizations in the country have been in Michigan and Ohio. Right now, the COVID hospitalization numbers are at the highest level since the start of the pandemic.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is deeply concerned because Michigan is below the national average for vaccinations.
Currently, 56% of Michiganders have the vaccine and the rates of children getting vaccinated remain very low.
Another issue is fatigue. Michigan’s healthcare workers are tired, many quitting healthcare altogether -- especially nurses.
Michigan’s chief medical officer, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, said this latest COVID surge is affecting younger, unvaccinated patients in their 20s and 30s.
Clive Ellis is battling COVID for a second time at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. He’s unvaccinated but is now encouraging others to get the vaccine.
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Katie Sefton is an assistant manager at Sparrow Hospital.
“I’ve gone home a few days and had days where I just cry. As a mom, it’s really hard, because my kids see that. So I have to put on a brave front for them too -- but it’s awful,” Sefton said.
With hospitals filled across the state, critical patients are not able to be transferred and care is being compromised. Bagdasarian said the solution is for more people to get vaccinated and for people to take precautions. Health officials are counting on individuals to change their behavior.
Federal teams are currently assisting at three Michigan hospitals, including Beaumont in Dearborn -- but the state said there are no additional federal teams available. No more help is coming.
Read: Complete Michigan COVID coverage
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