(WXYZ) — The University of Michigan Health System said it has seen a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent days.
According to the university, U-M Health is experiencing high positivity and increasing demands from patients with and without COVID-19, which is leading to "extremely high occupancy" in emergency departments and inpatient units.
There are more than 75 cases of COVID-19 among adults and 20 adult patients in the ICU, according to the health system.
“We’re at another COVID-19 turning point in Michigan, one that requires University of Michigan Health to again adjust our clinical activity to safely manage patients in the emergency department and our current inpatients,” said Dr. David Miller, president of University of Michigan Health and executive vice dean of affairs for the U-M Medical School.
“Our extraordinary teams are again initiating numerous efforts over the next few days to preserve capacity to care for the most serious patients, including those with COVID-19,” he continued. “Our guiding principle throughout the pandemic is to ensure that we continue to provide the safest care possible for our patients and our team members.”
Some of the measures include vaccine mandates for team members, activating discharges and transfers from the emergency department to inpatient units quicker, rescheduling some surgical procedures and medical admissions and reducing transfers from other hospitals.
Of the 68 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Nov. 18, 73.5% were unvaccinated. Only four of the 23 patients in the ICU were vaccinated and all 12 patients on ventilators were unvaccinated.
“This is an opportunity for the people of Michigan to take lifesaving measures and slow, or even end, this pandemic that has caused so much loss for individuals, families and communities,” Miller said.
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