Michigan On Track to Contain Covid-19
What a long strange trip it has been since March 13th of this year when the pandemic was declared. Our state was originally the third most affected by the pandemic, but thanks to Governor Whitmer’s aggressive response, Michigan is in a much better place today. Sheltering in place, people losing their jobs, many businesses were forced to close, it has been a tough time here and in many other states. Even though there were protests and many people getting mad at the Governor for her restrictions, over 60% of Michigan residents stood behind her actions to fight the pandemic and save lives.
Governor Whitmer has followed the data, and we have followed her plan, and she is now slowly opening our state back up. Covid-19 is not gone, but under control. The data currently shows us if we were to end all the restrictions right now, Covid-19 hospitalizations would spike to 60,000 by the end of July. As it stands, Michigan, along with New York and New Jersey are the only three states on track to contain Covid-19.
According to data compiled by Covid Act Now, Michigan is experiencing a low infection rate of 0.85 -- meaning each Michigan resident infected with the virus is infecting 0.85 other people. The data also shows that the state has widespread COVID-19 testing and a substantial number of contact tracers, which are both cited by professionals as vital to holding the spread of COVID-19.
So, at this point things are looking much better for Michigan. As I mentioned Covid-19 is not gone, so we must continue to social distance, wear a mask in public, and wash our hands often. But at least some normalcy is returning to our lives, and the future is looking better.