Replay: Gov. Whitmer update on Michigan s COVID-19 response
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to provide an update to Michigan s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and mark the one-year anniversary of the state s first confirmed cases at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday in Lansing.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is expected to join Whitmer at the news conference to discuss efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Whitmer is expected to honor the nearly 16,000 lives lost and families impacted by COVID-19, as March 10 marks the date of the first confirmed cases in the state a year ago. A tribute video is expected to be unveiled, as well.
B.1.1.7, the variant first identified in the United Kingdom, was identified in January in Michigan. As of Monday, 516 cases of the U.K. variant had been found in 23 Michigan jurisdictions, according to the release.
Cases tied to the B.1.351 arrived in the U.S. in January. As of March 7, 20 states reported having the variant, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest variant in Michigan is believed to be more contagious than the coronavirus strand that afflicted the U.S. at the start of the pandemic.
While there are no indications it results in more severe illness, officials warned that a higher rate of transmission could increase the number of people who are hospitalized or die.