COVID-19 and influenza are spreading faster in northern Michigan than the state average.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Munson Healthcare updated the public on the spread of respiratory illnesses in the region.
Most of Michigan has dropped to a “moderate” level of flu infections. But here, flu activity is still classified as “high.”
And patients tested for COVID-19 in northwest lower Michigan are showing a five percent higher positivity rate than the state average.
A growing portion of those positive cases are due to a new highly infectious sub-variant.
The sub-variant XBB.1.5 is one of many offshoots of the omicron variant,and it’s proving to be highly contagious.In the northeastern United States, it makes up 72 percent of COVID cases.
“We tend to lag behind waves and variant emergence in other parts of the country,” said Dr. Christopher Ledke, an infectious disease specialist with Munson Healthcare. “I would anticipate that this number will increase, with the likely dominance of XBB.1.5 in the next month or so.”
Ledtke said it's too early to tell how effective the latest booster shots are at protecting against the new sub-variant.
Munson staff is reminding residents that masking up can slow the spread of both COVID and influenza, as can avoiding large crowds, staying home if you feel ill and getting the latest available vaccinations.
