Rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Muskegon County very concerning – mlive.com

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI Hospital officials in Muskegon are quite concerned about an increase in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, and believe the situation will get worse before it gets better.

The number of inpatients with COVID at Mercy Health Muskegon has grown by nearly 150% over the past 10 days, according to hospital reports.

Were seeing a very significant elevation in hospitalizations, and that eventually will translate to deaths, Dr. Jerry Evans, chief of staff at Mercy Health Muskegon, told MLive.

The county recorded an additional three deaths due to COVID-19 between April 2-5, said Kathy Moore, director of Public Health Muskegon County. Those who died were two women over age 80 and a man in his 70s, she said.

Theirs were the first deaths recorded since March 6, and bring the total in the county to 302.

Nearly 500 additional COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in the county in the past week. And its seven-day average positivity rate was 20 percent between March 30 and April 5.

Of the 42 inpatients at Mercy Health on Thursday, April 8, more than half were under age 60, according to information Mercy provided to MLive. That compares to 17 inpatients Mercy reported on March 29.

Were obviously quite concerned that the numbers are going up this is true across the state of Michigan, Evans said. Its obviously very concerning. The good news is were not seeing it in the nursing homes, and were not seeing it as much in our older population.

Thats because most older residents, who had been getting very sick from COVID, are vaccinated, he said.

Three-quarters of county residents age 75 and older have had at least one dose of vaccine, and 68% are fully vaccinated, according to data from the health department. Numbers are similar for those ages 65-74 and drops among those ages 50-64, among whom 48% have had at least one dose and 26% are fully vaccinated.

Health officials are concerned about a potential increase in cases as families who traveled for this weeks spring break return to the area.

Certainly, were concerned, Evans said. A lot of people went to Florida this week or another southern destination. I think anybody who is returning should consider themselves as possibly being exposed.

A free drive-through COVID testing clinic aimed at families returning from spring break will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 11, at Muskegon Community Colleges parking lot off Quarterline Road.

Other testing sites can be found by visiting maskupmuskegon.org.

Related: Free COVID-19 testing clinic at Muskegon college aimed at K-12 students returning from spring break

Its believed a new more contagious variant, known as the B.1.1.7 or the U.K. variant, is behind the recent surge in cases, health officials said. Muskegon County also was one of the first to have a positive Brazil variant, known as P.1.

Not all COVID tests are checked for the variants, so the actual extent of them is not clear, Moore said.

The surge in cases prompted the Muskegon County court system on Wednesday, April 7, to return to electronic court hearings, halt jury trials and close offices at the hall of justice to most visitors.

Most who are presenting at the Mercy emergency room with COVID symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, nausea, fever and weakness are relatively younger, and medical staff feel its safe to discharge them to home, Evans said.

Many are being treated with monoclonal antibodies in the emergency room, when previously those treatments were done after hospital admission, Evans said. That has helped reduce the inpatient load, along with the immunization of older residents, he said.

Most of those who are being admitted have such risk factors as heart disease, obesity, lung issues or kidney disease, Evans said. But others are otherwise healthy, he said.

The hospital reported on Thursday that admitted patients with COVID-19 included two in their 20s, three in their 30s, seven in their 40s, 11 in their 50s, eight in their 60s, nine in their 70s, and two in their 80s.

Related: Michigan reports 7,819 new coronavirus cases, 73 deaths Thursday, April 8

The surge in cases was part of the reason Mercy Health declared an emergency in its emergency room on Monday, April 5, said Evans, who is an emergency room physician.

There were 110 patients in the emergency room at one point, and the intensive care unit as well as those in Grand Rapids and hospitals throughout the region -- were full, he said.

Of the additional 489 cases recorded between April 1-8 in Muskegon County, most were among people in their 20s.

Totals by age group, as reported by the health department, are as follows: 1,299 cases among those under age 20, an increase of 77 from the previous week; 1,945 cases among those in their 20s, an increase of 128 over the prior week; 1,764 among those in their 30s, an increase of 91; 1,794 among those in their 40s, an increase of 82; 1,797 among those in their 50s, an increase of 61; 1,443 among those in their 60s, and increase of 37; 849 among those in their 70s, an increase of 11; and 594 among those age 80 and over, an increase of two.

Nearly 27 percent of all residents in the county over age 16 have been fully vaccinated, according to health department figures. Nearly 40 percent have begun the vaccination process that in most cases requires two doses.

Those seeking a vaccination should check the vaccinatewestmi.com website where there are multiple locations listed to register for the vaccine. Availability has become more widespread even as eligibility for it has opened to all who are age 16 and over.

Both Moore and Evans said they dont foresee the virus completely disappearing, with Evans saying surges in cases are going to continue to come and go.

But those who are vaccinated have incredibly mild symptoms if they do catch the virus, Evans said.

Moore advised those who are hesitant about receiving the vaccine to consult with their doctor.

We just still need to continue to be as cautious as we can, Moore said. I dont think we all need to hide in a closet until it goes away, because its not going to go away. We just need to take more precautions.

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Rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Muskegon County very concerning - mlive.com