For many weeks now, the number of cases and hospitalizations has been going down across the country. Unfortunately, that trend has now reversed in the state of Michigan. Cases * and * hospitalizations are both on the rise there. 
There had been some hopes that if we did see cases rise somewhere, hospitalizations would not follow because many vulnerable people have been vaccinated. But Michigan hospitalizations have increased 45% from their February low.
theatlantic.com/health/archive…
theatlantic.com/health/archive…
Two important pieces of context: Statewide, just 28% of Black residents 65+ are known to have received a first dose of vaccine. Though that data is incomplete, CDC numbers show that 66% of the U.S. population aged 65+ has received at least one dose of vaccine.
The other big question is what role variants of concern are playing in Michigan. Our genomic surveillance remains limited, but the CDC reports that Michigan has the second-most confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, after Florida.
We don't know what path this Michigan outbreak is going to take, but this could prove a bellwether for what happens when new variants of concern encounter populations with less vaccine access.
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