It feels like many of us put COVID-19 in the rearview mirror with the last drop in cases -- but, as much as we’d like it to stay there, we’re seeing another uptick in cases.

With Michigan in the middle of yet another surge of COVID-19, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was here in Metro Detroit on Monday talking about the ongoing crisis.

A look at how viruses mutate, how variants come about, and what we can do about it.

For many people it is the fear of those new variants making them very reluctant to let go of the protocols that have made them feel safer for the past 14 months.

Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge answers your COVID-19 variant questions.

Michigan has confirmed its first case of another new COVID-19 variant, this one from India.

(NIAID-RML via AP)GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus has been reported in a third Michigan county for the first time. Health officials say a confirmed case of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, known as B117, was reported in Kent County on Sunday, Feb. 7. Michigan’s first known case of the virus variant was identified on Jan. 16 in a Washtenaw County woman who had just recently traveled to the U.K. Washtenaw County officials say that all known B117 variant cases within that county are tied to the University of Michigan community. Related: University of Michigan identifies virus outbreaks at off-campus housesAdThree COVID-19 variants, including the B117 variant, have been identified in the U.S. so far.