Michigan prisons near ‘herd immunity,’ but coronavirus variant poses new threat
Updated Feb 22, 2021;
Posted Feb 20, 2021
Parnall Correctional Facility at 1780 E Parnall Road in Blackman Township. (J. Scott Park | Mlive.com) MLive Media GroupMLive Media Group
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Update: This story has been revised with additional information and clarification provided by MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz.
Nowhere in Michigan has the prevalence of the coronavirus been as pervasive as it is among the prison population.
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) responded to rampant outbreaks with ongoing mass testing that reveals infection rates approaching what medical professionals refer to as herd immunity, the level of immunity that must exist before a virus has no available hosts and can die off.
Image credit: State of Michigan
Michigan COVID-19 case rates have dropped 85% since a mid-November peak, but public health officials are still concerned about the more infectious B.1.1.7. variant of the virus.
The state of Michigan’s COVID-19 case rates are down to 113 cases per million – an 85% drop since a mid-November peak. But, even as COVID case rates in Michigan drop, health officials continue to monitor the spread of a more-infectious coronavirus variant.
Chief Medical Executive Doctor Joneigh Khaldun says when the B.1.1.7. variant is detected, there’s a swift response.
“We continue to move forward with a proactive public health response,” explains Khaldun. “This means isolation, quarantine and frequent testing whenever we identify outbreaks associated with the variant, so that we can slow the spread as much as possible.”
IONIA, MICH Results from the daily testing of prisoners and staff at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, in Ionia, has resulted in the detection of 90
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Cases of the fast-spreading B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant more than doubled in Michigan this week, propelled by 90 new reported cases at an Ionia prison.