Confirmed Cases Of UK Coronavirus Variant In Michigan Up To 157

LANSING, MI — Michigan health officials on Wednesday said 157 cases of a faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus that was first reported in the United Kingdom have been confirmed in the state.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan's Chief Medical Executive, said at a news conference Wednesday that the confirmed cases of the variant have been identified across 12 counties in Michigan. The announcement comes after the state announced Tuesday evening that 90 people at the Bellamy Creek Correction Facility in Ionia tested positive for the coronavirus variant from the U.K.

Of the 90 positive cases, two are prison employees and 88 are inmates, officials said, and the results of more than 100 more tests from the prison are pending.

"We continue to move forward with a proactive public health response," Khaldun said. "This means isolation, quarantine and frequent testing whenever we identify outbreaks associated with the variant so that we can slow the spread as much as possible."

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Officials said B.1.1.7. is believed to be more contagious, but there has been no indication that it is more severe than the main COVID-19 virus that has been circulating across the United States for months.

The state reported its first case of the coronavirus variant on Jan. 16, when a Washtenaw County woman tested positive for B.1.1.7 after she traveled to the United Kingdom, where the variant was widely identified, officials said.

Many of the early cases had ties to the University of Michigan, prompting the university to pause its athletics for two weeks.

"Everyone has a role to play in slowing the spread of this new variant as there are possibly more cases that we don't yet know about," Khaldun said.

Khaldun on Wednesday said she was otherwise "very encouraged" by statewide coronavirus data and trends. COVID-19 case rates in Michigan continue to decline, Khaldun said. The total number of coronavirus outbreaks that local health departments are investigating is down 7 percent from last week, Khaldun said.

"These are very encouraging trends that have us moving in the right direction, but as I've mentioned before, over the past several weeks we will continue to keep a close eye on the number of cases of the B.1.1.7 variants that have been identified," Khaldun said.

Michigan also continues to rollout its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer saying Wednesday that the state has administered more than 1.6 million doses of vaccine. Whitmer said Michigan is ninth in the nation in total vaccines administered, and that the state plans to ramp up its efforts going forward.

"Our goal remains 50,000 shots a day," Whitmer said. "We have hit that goal on several occasions. Once we get enough vaccines, we will hit it every day."