Has the number of COVID cases in children increased since schools opened? Does Michigan Still Report Flu Deaths?

DETROIT – Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Frank McGeorge has kept viewers up to date and informed on all fronts. He answered your questions about the vaccine, the vaccination process and more.

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Since the reopening of schools, has the number of cases in children increased?

The number of outbreak investigations in K-12 schools has tripled over the past week. In addition, the 7-day average of new cases is highest in children aged 10 to 19 compared to any other age group. This age group also saw the largest percentage increase over the past week for a total of 38%.

Why are children who test positive for COVID allowed to stay in school?

Children who test positive should not be allowed to return to school until their period of isolation is over. Contact your school and the local health department if you have any concerns.

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I tested positive for COVID and recently received monoclonal therapy. I am fully vaccinated, also immunocompromised and diabetic. Should I get the third booster now or wait 90 days?

You must wait 90 days after the infusion of monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies can interfere with the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Will I have the same reaction to the booster dose as to the second dose?

This is what we anticipate and this is what the available data suggests. Once the boosters are deployed to millions of people, we will have a more precise answer.

My daughter, who is not vaccinated, said her hospital sees people vaccinated with COVID. What percentage of hospitalized patients are vaccinated compared to those who are not?

Between January 15 and September 7, there were more than 13,000 hospitalizations in Michigan for COVID-19. One of them, just under 8%, was fully vaccinated. This means that 92% were not vaccinated.

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Before COVID, we were getting the number of deaths in the state attributed to the flu. I haven’t seen anything reported during the COVID pandemic. What happened to these reports? Are they incorporated into the COVID numbers, thus inflating the number of COVID deaths?

The reason you haven’t heard of flu deaths is that they’ve been virtually non-existent since the start of the pandemic. Precautions like masks and social distancing have brought the flu count down to all-time low.

Now that many of the earlier precautions have been relaxed, many experts fear the flu season may be more important this year. We will certainly share those numbers.

Read: Michigan COVID Comprehensive Coverage

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