WASHINGTON — The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing for stronger restrictions in Michigan to slow a spike in COVID-19 infections, such as a pause on indoor restaurant dining or tighter rules around youth sports.
"I would advocate for sort of stronger mitigation strategies, as you know, to sort of decrease the community activity, ensure mask-wearing, and we're working closely with the state to try and work towards that," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said about Michigan in a Wednesday briefing.
Walensky said that in areas of substantial or high community transmission — which includes Michigan — "I encourage communities to consider adjustments to meet their unique needs and circumstances," such as refraining from youth sports that are not outside and cannot be conducted at least six feet apart.
Walensky's remarks came as Michigan's top epidemiologist said Wednesday the state has the highest number of cases, the highest case rates, and the highest rates of coronavirus hospitalizations and intensive care unit use in the nation.
The state's test positivity rate is up 348% from six weeks ago, increasing from 4.3% on Feb. 19 to 15.6% on Wednesday, Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of Michigan's Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health, said during a press briefing in Lansing.
Case rates are up 375% since the Feb. 19 low point, from 190 per million to 491 per million currently, she said.
Rather than imposing stricter COVID-19 rules, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told CNN on Tuesday that Michigan might be able to lift most remaining business restrictions this summer if the state's vaccination rate increases.
Michigan's goal is to vaccinate 70% of individuals older than 16. The rate was 22.8% through Tuesday.
"If we're successful and people come in and do their part, we could very well be in that position this summer," Whitmer said.
Walensky said Wednesday that CDC teams are on the ground in Michigan working to assess outbreaks in correctional facilities and facilitate more testing in the context of youth sports.
Her agency is also doing increased public health surveillance and sequencing to better understand "what is happening with the B.1.1.7" and variants, Walensky said, referring to the United Kingdom variant that is more contagious than the original strain and is now the most common strain in the United States. There are more than 400 B.1.1.7 cases in Michigan's prison system.
All three variants of concern are present in Michigan, according to Lyon-Callo. The number of confirmed cases is expected to be lower than the number of actual infections because variants can only be confirmed through genetic sequencing of virus samples.
Of the 12,505 confirmed B.1.1.7 variant cases identified so far in the United States, Michigan has had 1,817 confirmed cases, according to Lyon-Callo. The B.1.1.7 variant is more contagious than the initial iteration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and quickly became the dominant strain in the United Kingdom.
The United States has found 323 cases with the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa, including seven in Michigan. And of 224 U.S. cases of the P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil, Michigan has confirmed two.
But federal public health officials said there are no plans to boost the supply of COVID vaccines to the state, as the federal government continues to allocate doses based on population.
However, Wallensky noted that Michigan officials are "surging" vaccine supply to areas of the state that are experiencing more outbreaks of COVID-19.
"We have within the state the ability to move vaccines around, of course, but we're in close contact — both through the CDC and in direct conversations with the governor and her team — around what are the resources that can be most helpful at this point in time," White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said of Michigan.
"And nothing is off the table in those conversations in terms of the kind of support that we can provide, and we'll keep all options open as we as we stay close."
Slavitt noted there's a "menu of things" that his team reviews with states in these kind of situations, including staff, personnel, therapeutics and locations.
Asked to comment on Walensky's remarks, Whitmer's office said Michigan continues to have "smart" health policies in place, such as a mask mandate and capacity limits on large gatherings, unlike states such as Texas and Florida where limits were dropped.
"We are still very much in this pandemic, but we’ve learned a tremendous amount about how to protect ourselves and our loved ones," Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said.
"That’s why every Michigander has a personal responsibility to do their part by wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining social distancing to help us slow the spread of this virus."
The state is moving ahead with plans to ramp up testing for schools, businesses and nursing homes and expanded testing protocols for all student athletes, in addition to growing the state's vaccine program in the last two weeks, he noted.
The state opened vaccine eligibility to everyone over age 16 Monday.
One area where Michigan has seen outbreaks in recent weeks has been in youth sports settings, contributing to COVID-19 cases among children ages 10 to 19, rising for the last five weeks — greater growth than among any other age group.
Walensky noted that the CDC's guidance in this area of youth sports is "pretty clear," in regard to having substantial or high transmission.
"These activities should be happening outdoors and more than 6 feet apart," she said, adding that testing should happen at least twice a week if these are sports at high risk for virus transmission.
An epidemic order issued by Michigan officials last month requires rapid COVID-19 testing for all youth athletes ages 13-19 — rules that apply to middle schoolers through high schoolers, as well as private club sports.
Whitmer said Tuesday that officials might need to take additional action to stem the transmission through school and club sports.
"We are seeing the spread continuing in teenage sports and, frankly, it's something that we're very concerned about," she said. "...this may be one area that we've got to do more in."
An advocacy group last week sued Michigan's health director over the new COVID-19 roles and protocols for youth sports rules, arguing they are "invalid" and violate due process rights.
Nationally, the CDC is also tracking a surge in outbreaks in day care centers, Walensky said Wednesday.
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(Detroit News staff writer Beth LeBlanc contributed to this story.)
