ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has become the current national hotspot for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations at a time when more than half the U.S. adult population has been vaccinated and other states have seen the virus diminish substantially. Medical professionals point to more contagious variants, the state’s pullback on restrictions to limit crowds and COVID fatigue as reasons for the surge, especially in rural, northern parts of the state that had largely avoided severe outbreaks. Michigan has posted more new COVID-19 cases than any other state in the country over the past two weeks, which is all the more striking considering it has 10 million population and bigger states like California and Texas don’t have anywhere near the cases as Michigan.
Michigan became hotspot as variants rose and vigilance fell
