Michigan reports increase of 200K more vaccine doses distributed this week

FOX 2 - In the fight against COVID-19, the state is reporting more than half a million coronavirus vaccine doses have been doled out as of Tuesday and an increase of more than 200,000 doses from the previous week. 

"By the 19th of January there were more than a million doses that had been shipped to either Michigan providers enrolled in the program, or through the federal long-term care pharmacy partnership program," said Dr. Sarah Lyon-Callo.

As the doses of vaccine come into the state more and more people are getting their shots. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting 5.4 percent of people in Michigan 16 years and older have gotten their first dose of the vaccine.

Michigan is in the middle when it comes to incidences of COVID-19. The state has the 23rd highest number of cases but Michigan rates worse for coronavirus deaths ranking 14th in America.

Providing a bit of hope is that Michigan has plateaued for the third week in a row in case rates. Testing is up and overall deaths are down. 

A woman in Washtenaw County was identified as having the new more contagious B117 variant last week. The state said  Wednesday they expect to see the strain in other parts of Michigan, but think the vaccine will protect against it - adding B117 "could" have an impact on herd immunity. 

"If a virus is more easily transmitted between humans, we have to have a higher number or percentage of humans vaccinated in a population to disrupt transmission," said Callo, MDHHS.

Health officials say using masks, social distancing, hand washing. The same things we've been hearing all along is key. 

Michigan is now at an average of over 41,000 tests per day, up more than 7,000 tests over the previous week.