Some MI Counties Remain Susceptible To COVID Outbreaks: See Why

MICHIGAN — Michigan communities with predominately larger minority rates generally have lower vaccination rates, which could lead to an increased chance of more COVID-19 outbreaks, according to a recently published report from Bridge Magazine.

The report, published on Tuesday, uses census data to map out racial and economical disparities across Michigan in COVID-19 vaccination rates. A map depicting vaccination rates shows that more than 65 percent of people in predominantly white Oakland County communities have been at least partially vaccinated.

Just south of Oakland County, however, in Wayne County and Detroit, a much smaller percentage of people have received even a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In Wayne County, which is largely Black, many communities have reported fewer than 50 percent of people having been given their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Detroit? That number plummets to less than 35 percent in most areas.

>>>Check out the full Bridge Magazine report here.

The low vaccination rates in Wayne County and Detroit offer more than just socioeconomic concerns. It also makes them vulnerable to future coronavirus outbreaks, according to some experts.

While discussing southern states with low vaccination rates becoming "sitting ducks" for potential COVID-19 outbreaks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky showed concern for areas of the nation below a 70 percent vaccination rate threshold.

"We have pockets of this country that have lower rates of vaccination," Walensky said earlier this month, according to CNN. "I worry that this virus is an opportunist and that where we have low rates of vaccination are where we may see it again. And so really the issue now is to make sure we get to those communities as well."

Underscoring the importance of vaccines, a new variant of the virus — which was first detected in India — is the most contagious yet, according to the CDC.

NPR reported Thursday, citing data collected from the CDC, that the Delta variant may be responsible for nearly 10 percent of all new COVID-19 infections in the U.S. In Michigan, state officials said Wednesday that 22 cases of the variant have been identified.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NPR that the variant underscores the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, which has shown success against the Delta variant.

"If you are vaccinated, you're going to be protected, which is another very good reason to encourage people strongly to get vaccinated," Fauci said on NPR's Morning Edition Thursday. "If you are not vaccinated, you are at risk of getting infected with the virus that now spreads more rapidly and gives more serious disease."

A recent Op-Ed published by the Washington Post described why the variant has pronounced the importance of being vaccinated, citing how lethal it is and how difficult it is to avoid being infected even among people with full immunity.