Michigan's Covid-19 surge becomes a reality check for a restless nation
CNN
Amid an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Friday appeal to her state's residents to voluntarily take a two-week pause on indoor dining and gatherings was a sobering message and a reality check for Americans who have been returning to many of their old pastimes as the pace of vaccinations picks up.
"There's light at the end of this tunnel, but the recent rise in cases is a reminder that we are still in the tunnel," the Democratic governor said, urging people to continue to take precautions and get the vaccine -- which is now available to anyone 16 and older in her state. "That's the nature of this virus, the second we let our guard down it comes roaring back." Nationally, case numbers and hospitalizations rose last week compared with the previous seven-day period, even as deaths continue to fall. In Michigan, hospitals are once again weighing whether to cancel elective surgeries, and last week Michigan cities accounted for seven of the 10 worst Covid-19 outbreaks in urban areas. The state's predicament points to the difficult balancing act that the Biden administration faces as it tries to project optimism while fighting complacency about the virus -- and the new pressure it faces to change its vaccine allocation formula by sending more vaccine doses to areas with the worst outbreaks.
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