(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is urging people to avoid the emergency room unless they have a life-threatening condition.
According to a press release from the MDHHS, the state’s health care systems are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
They note from Jan. 15 through Dec. 3, 85.1% of COVID-19 cases, 88.1% of hospitalizations and 85.5% of deaths were those who were not fully vaccinated.
“We all need to do our part to get vaccinated and boosted to keep ourselves, our families and our neighbors safe,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive, in a press release. “In addition to getting vaccinated, it is important to maintain your routine medical care so that any potential illness gets detected early and can be much more manageable. We urge Michiganders to continue seeking medical care but avoid emergency departments unless they have a life-threatening condition. If you don’t have a primary care provider, now is a great time to find one through contact with your local health care system.”
They provided these guidelines for care:
Call a health care provider (like your local physician’s office) for a virtual or in-person appointment or visit an urgent care provider for ailments such as:
- Cold or flu
- Sprains
- Rashes or minor burns
- Ear pain
- Animal or insect bites
- Allergies
- A COVID-19 test.
Call 911 or visit an emergency department for:
- Life-threatening medical conditions or emergencies such as a heart attack or stroke
- Choking
- Head injuries
- Severe burns
- Severe chest pain or pressure
- Broken bones
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Severe respiratory distress.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.