Vaccine hesitancy and refusal is the best friend Covid-19 variants have, health officials say. Hence the newest identified variant, Delta, is spreading in Michigan.
Vaccines are still free and widely available. Get one. (File photo)
The alpha variant (B.1.1.7), quickly gain a foothold in Michigan. It appeared in almost every county in the state. The delta variant (B.1.617.2) has cropped up in at least five Michigan counties. It’s even more contagious and may lead to more severe illness.
In Michigan, 25 cases of the delta variant have been identified in five counties. The counties include Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Lapeer and Branch County.
According to state numbers, it isn’t widespread yet but in counties with high percentages of unvaccinated people it may quickly dominate.
The vaccination rate in the city of Detroit remains low, just 36.9 percent after months of free, widely available vaccines. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are said to be highly effective against the Covid variants, but as the WDIV story points out, new variants are wild cards in our pandemic strategy; as they spread in the unvaccinated community, there's a chance the virus can evolve to evade current vaccines.
