MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Mackinac Policy Conference doubled Tuesday to at least 30 known cases.
Among them are U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Detroit City Councilman Coleman A. Young II. Both reported mild symptoms.
“Given an event of that magnitude and the current spread we’re seeing, are you surprised to see numbers like that?" 7 Action News reporter Brett Kast asked Dr. Matthew Sims of Beaumont Health.
"No," Sims responded. "When you have any kind of event when there's a lot of people in a relatively small area mixing and mingling and whatnot, all it takes is to drop one person in the middle who has COVID to spread.”
The Detroit Regional Chamber said it will keep the COVID-19 hotline open this week, asking attendees to report if they test positive. The event required attendees to be vaccinated or show a negative test.
“They put good policy in," Sims said. "But until we have a vaccine that really prevents infection, we can still get breakthrough cases.”
On Tuesday, an Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended the use of another COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax. While the vaccine is designed for the original COVID-19 variant, it’s a more traditional protein-based vaccine.
The FDA hopes it will be accepted by those reluctant to take MRNA vaccines.
“Anything we can do to get people more comfortable to be able to accept these potentially life-saving medical products is something we feel we are completed to do,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the center director for the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
While breakthrough cases have become more common with the current vaccines, Sims says they’re still saving lives by preventing serious disease. With all of metro Detroit having high community transmission levels, Sims still urges some precaution.
“Just like everyone else, I want to move on to a more normal life," Sims said. "But right now for me, a more normal life is when I'm around a bunch of people… I'm wearing a mask.”