Each week, Dr. Frank McGeorge and the Local 4 Good Health team reach out to physicians, nurse practitioners and hospital systems in five counties to monitor what’s going around.
The resounding answer continues to be COVID, and lots of it. The surge is not letting up yet. COVID continues to dominate the list of illnesses they’re seeing and the unvaccinated are far sicker than those who are vaccinated and boosted.
Read: Complete Michigan COVID coverage
Wayne County
Ascension St. John said their emergency departments are primarily seeing and treating COVID.
Children’s Hospital reports a lot of kids with COVID, and more cases of the flu and an increase in children with stomach viruses.
In addition to COVID, Henry Ford Taylor reports bronchitis and sinus infections.
Oakland County
Dr. Erik Weitz at Troy Beaumont said he’s seeing a rapid and large increase in COVID cases over the last two weeks, including more children than previously impacted. Influenza is also slowly rising.
The CVS Minute Clinics are also swamped with COVID cases, along with patients with flu, coughs, colds and sore throats.
Washtenaw County
Michigan Medicine said nearly 40% of the adult patients coming into the ER with COVID symptoms are testing positive for the virus. Dr. Marisa Louie said they are seeing a similar COVID surge in children -- which is new with the omicron variant.
The health department repots sporadic cases of influenza continue to be diagnosed and respiratory illnesses are increasing in school-age kids.
Monroe County
COVID continues to have a major impact at Promedica Monroe Regional Hospital. Influenza and colds are being seen there as well.
Macomb County
Finally in Macomb County, ER Dr. Evan Coyne at McLaren Macomb said COVID cases remain high and steady from last week.
They’re also seeing flu cases, primarily in children so far. The CVS Minute Clinics report COVID, flu, coughs and colds and sore throats.
More: Good health headlines
Doctors said the trend is very clear. Vaccinated and boosted patients are suffering mainly mild symptoms and the unvaccinated are being hit hard with severe COVID.
Pediatricians are also expressing concerns that the rising cases in kids will lead to an increase in MIS-C, that’s the very serious inflammatory syndrome that can develop around a month after kids having recovered that initial COVID infection. Another reason to get children vaccinated if they’re eligible.