State Watch

Michigan coronavirus surge fueled by spike in cases among younger age groups

A surge in coronavirus cases in Michigan is being fueled by a spike in cases among younger age groups.

“Right now, we are seeing a much younger population coming in, and by younger we mean maybe 40s, 50s as opposed to 60s or 70s that we were seeing previously,” Beaumont physician Justin Skrzynkski told WXYZ Detroit.

Another Detroit hospital has also said the age of those with the coronavirus coming in has dropped from an average age of 65 years old to an average of 58 years old, and it is probably partly due to vaccination efforts.

“When we look at the age of people who are hospitalized at the present time, it is not the age group that has been vaccinated so far,” the chief clinical officer at Henry Ford, Adnan Munkarah, said.

Michigan has vaccinated two-thirds of those over the age of 65 from the coronavirus, the local outlet reported.

Recent data in the state has shown that schools have seen larger outbreaks than before, particularly in people ages 10-19.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has resisted tightening restrictions in the state, citing that many high-risk populations have been vaccinated.

The state recorded 4,100 new coronavirus cases per day on Sunday and Monday.

The state has given at least 25 percent of its population one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. All adults will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine on April 5 in Michigan.

Overall, Michigan has had over 732,000 reported cases of the coronavirus and over 17,000 deaths.