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More than half of Michigan’s 83 counties are now recommended to mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status, including almost the entire southern half of the Lower Peninsula.
As of Thursday, August 5, there were 44 counties with “high” or “substantial” levels of community transmission of coronaviruses, according to the case-positivity criteria and testing of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC uses a four-tier system and recommends that everyone wear masks indoors when their community reaches the first two designations.
Seven counties have reached the highest level of transmission, meaning they report more than 100 new cases per week per 100,000 population, and / or have a positive test rate of 10% or more. These counties are Alpena, Branch, Charlevoix, Huron, Iosco, Kalkaska and Montmorency,
Another 37 counties achieved “substantial” transmission, which means 50 to 99 cases per week per 100,000 people and / or test positivity between 8% and 9.9%.
These counties include Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Cass, Clare, Clinton, Crawford, Delta, Dickinson, Eaton, Grand Traverse, Gogebic, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lake, Leelanau, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Mason, Menominee, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Presque Isle, Saginaw, Shiawassee, St. Joseph, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne.
Of the states that have yet to reach the level of transmission to justify returning vaccinated people to indoor masking, there were 35 at the third level – moderate transmission – and four at low transmission.
The lower counties – Algiers, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw – are all located in the upper peninsula.
Below is a map showing the transmission level for each county in Michigan based on CDC standards, using data as of Tuesday, July 27. Red and orange counties indicate high and substantial transmission, while yellow indicates moderate transmission and blue indicates low transmission.
(Can’t see the map? Click here)
The latest CDC data is based on case rates from July 27 to August 3 and test positivity rates from July 26 to August 1. As a state, Michigan is at a moderate level while the country is rated as high transmission.
In May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks indoors, making way for some exceptions like hospitals. It was still recommended that unvaccinated people mask themselves indoors, but masks could be removed outside without much risk.
Last week, however, the CDC updated its guidelines with a more infectious variant causing an increase in cases nationwide. Federal health officials have developed a four-tier system that allows communities to assess their community’s spread and mask themselves accordingly.
Within days, Michigan counties with high and substantial transmission rates went from 10 to 32, then to 44.
Michigan recorded an average of 693 new COVID-19 cases per day over the past week, up nearly 59% from the previous week. Hospitalizations rose 34% during that time, and the state’s seven-day positive test rate rose to 6%.
With the coronavirus regaining strength, health officials and community leaders are redoubling their efforts to ensure residents get vaccinated if they haven’t already. Vaccines are widely available for people 12 years of age and older at pharmacies, clinics, and local health systems.
To find a vaccine near you, visit the Michigan COVID-19 vaccine website or go to VaccineFinder.org.
For the most recent version of the CDC Community Transmission Map, visit the CDC tracker, here.
Learn more about MLive:
Michigan coronavirus data for Thursday August 5: Positivity surpasses 10% in eight counties
Delta variant coronavirus cases increase 165% in Michigan
With more than 130,000 first hits of covid in July, officials tout the success of Michigan’s vaccine lottery
New COVID variants Epsilon and Lambda could be vaccine resistant, early lab studies show
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