Thread by @DrEricDing

GUT PUNCH—Michigan & North Dakota #COVID19 cases surged 52% in 1 week.

“It is absolutely alarming,” Emily Toth Martin, an epidemiologist. “Felt like a gut punch. We’re going to have to go through hard work again to get the numbers down.” @juliebosman 🧵
nytimes.com/2021/04/01/us/…

2) Infection levels have exploded in recent weeks, in big cities and rural stretches alike.

Ann Hepfer, a health officer for two counties, is racked by worries: about spring break trips that are underway, and about the Easter gatherings that will take place this weekend

3) “It makes me shudder,” she said. “I never thought we would see this at this time. I thought we would be over the hump.”

4) “Health officials partly attributed the rapid rise in cases to the #B117 variant and is widespread in Michigan. But they also observed a broader relaxing of mask wearing, social distancing and other strategies many weeks before substantial portion of population is vaccinated”

5) “On Thursday, Michigan officials announced that they had identified their first case of the P.1 variant, which has spread widely in Brazil and has now been found in more than 20 U.S. states.”

6) Same thing is fueling the surge in France and across Europe

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1377329201867546626

7) Many other US states seeing alarming growth in just 1 week. ronaviz.com

8) This didn’t help Michigan either.

“Republicans who control the Michigan Legislature have spent about $542,000 to sue Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.” apnews.com/article/virus-…

9) Let’s not be Chile 🇨🇱... let’s not rush to reopen carelessly and haphazardly after just beginning to vaccinate.

Let all those places seeing surges be a lesson to all...

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1377029757578149892