(WXYZ) — With the latest rise in COVID-19 cases and increased hospitalizations, doctors across metro Detroit are hoping this is not the beginning of another major surge.
Related:
- Can fully vaccinated people still get COVID-19?
- How you can get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Michigan
The state reported more than 8,200 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, an average of 4,100 per day for Sunday and Monday.
Doctors at metro Detroit hospitals said cases are rising as restrictions loosen and more people travel, but they're seeing more positive cases among people below the age of 60.
"If you look at the slope of cases that we're having, we're still increasing, so we don't know where the top of the hill is going to be," Beaumont physician Dr. Justin Skrzynski said.
Skrzynski says since early February, the number of COVID-19 patients has tripled at Beaumont Royal Oak, with a shift to a different age group.
"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," he said.
It's the same at Henry Ford Hospital. The average age of patients has dropped from 65 to 58.
"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," Dr. Adnan Munkarah, the chief clinical officer at Henry Ford, said.
The data can be found on the state's COVID-19 dashboard, which shows roughly 2/3 of those over 65 have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. For those not fully-vaccinated, air travel may be a risk. TSA said it's on the rise, pushing pre-pandemic levels.
State COVID vaccine dashboard, 3/28
"This is not time to give up because the end is near, between vaccination and using these measures, we will be able to get to where we want to get to and hopefully get to some sort of normalcy," Munkarah said.
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.