Michigan is experiencing a sharp decline in COVID cases, hospitalization rates and COVID test positivity rates, following the surge in January.
Michigan public health officials reported 1,365 new COVID-19 cases and 24 additional deaths over three days, from Saturday to Monday.
That is a far jump from early January when health officials reported more than 20,000 new cases a day and a record-breaking number of people were hospitalized.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian is the state's chief medical executive. She said this is a relatively safer time in Michigan.
"It doesn’t mean the pandemic is over; we will see future surges of cases. The best thing we can do in this recovery period is start preparing and planning ahead for future surges. And the best way to do that is to make sure you’re vaccinated and boosted," she said.
Officials are still urging people to get vaccinated, especially as Michigan lags behind the national average for vaccination rates.
More than 66%, or 6.6 million, state residents have received their first doses of a vaccine, as of Monday.
Masks are no longer recommended in most indoor settings but officials say that may change if COVID rates go up again.
