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You might have missed it, but Northern Michigan recently experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“The pandemic is in the rearview mirror but COVID persists. We do continue to see people diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID and there are some deaths in the state,” said Dr. Joshua Meyerson, medical director at the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, which covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties. He also serves as medical director of District Health Department No. 4, which covers Alpena, Cheboygan, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties.
Meyerson said officials no longer track COVID cases “the way we used to because we don’t need to anymore.”
“(It is) now similar to the flu,” he said. “We did see an increase in COVID activity in August and we are still seeing that. It has probably plateaued now. COVID cases go up and down and typically we get another surge in the winter months.”
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive, told the Detroit Free Press that they expect COVID to become more of a seasonal virus over time, “the same way that flu and RSV sort of have that seasonality. ”
“The benefit of getting a COVID vaccine in the fall is because even if you have prior immunity, even if you’ve received a vaccine in the past, or had COVID-19 in the past, it is boosting your immunity,” she said. “It is allowing for greater protection during the months where we expect to see the … highest rates of COVID-19.”
Meyerson said everyone six months and older can get an updated COVID-19 vaccine shot.
“It’s not a booster. They updated it to more closely match the circulating strain,” Meyerson said.
In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency use of the 2024-2025 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines containing a “formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19.”
Meyerson believes that vaccination is a more reliable way to provide protection than actually getting the disease.
“The vaccine increases your protection from being hospitalized or suffering severe complications from COVID,” he added.
Meyerson said those who really need to get the vaccine include those over 65 because about 80% of the deaths from COVID-19 are found in that age group.
Those who suffer from lung or heart disease or other medical issues like diabetes should also get the new vaccine, Meyerson said.
As for the best time to get the shot, Meyerson suggested October or early November and noted that you can also get a flu shot at the same time.
Check on the websites for District Health Department No. 4 and the Health Department of Northwest Michigan to see when both are offering the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu shot. The shots are also available at pharmacies in Northern Michigan.