Large scale COVID-19 vaccination efforts are underway in West Michigan, but health officials are also urging residents to continue getting tested as the number of confirmed B.1.1.7 variant cases in the state grows.
On Monday, chief medical executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said there are now 17 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant between Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
"Because this variant is more easily spread, we must do more testing so we know where the virus is, and we can quickly reach out to people so they can isolate and quarantine appropriately," Khaldun said during a Monday afternoon press conference.
For local health departments and health systems, it means balancing the vaccine rollout, which has required significant resources and testing.
"We can't use the same resources we have for the vaccine effort for testing," said Dr. Andrew Jameson, medical director of infection prevention and control at Mercy Health St Mary's.
"Because if you don't have both those options, you're not going to be able to flex if something does come up."
The B.1.1.7 variant, which has been shown to transmit more easily, is identified through whole genome sequencing done by the state public health laboratory. The state lab is pulling samples of tests as a means of surveillance for variants, but not all tests are sequenced.
"I think we're going to be operating under the assumption that if our numbers start ticking up quickly that we're dealing with a variant," said Jameson, who is also the division chief of infectious diseases at the Grand Rapids hospital.
Jameson said he's not concerned about meeting the demand for testing that could arise with the presence of the B.1.1.7 variant in West Michigan. He says county-wide, hundreds if not thousands more tests could be done per day, and testing turnaround time has also improved.
'We get those results back in under 48 hours, many times under 24, so, we're in a position to respond much more quickly than we've ever been before," Jameson said.
Mercy Health St. Mary's, which is currently treating 18 COVID-19 in patients, also has doctors and nurses on standby in the event of another surge, Jameson said.
The Kent County Health Department closed its COVID-19 testing operations at the start of the year to shift its focus to vaccinations. But, county epidemiologist Brian Hartl says the county's contact tracing team is still intact.
"So, we're able to investigate, you know, 400 to 500 cases a day, because we have such a big team of contact tracers," Hartl said.
In addition to the vaccine, Hartl said the best ways to stem the spread of the variant are the same guidelines that have been in place for months.
"The fact of the matter is, is that all the precautions we have been taking, for the past almost a year now are still going to be effective against this variant strain," Hartl said. "And it's probably even more critical that people do continue to wear the masks, to limit gatherings and social distance because of the fact that this is more more contagious."
Michigan's case counts have been plateauing for weeks, after a surge in the fall that led to a partial shutdown order in mid-November.
Hundreds of thousands of people tested positive for the virus and thousands of people died from complications of it in the final months of 2020.
State health officials said the 'Pause to Save Lives' order worked, and have rolled back most of the order. Last week, the state health department loosened restrictions on indoor dining, allowing restaurants to reopen at 25% capacity starting Feb 1.
But, Dr. Jameson said he fears people will let their guard down too soon.
"That's my biggest worry, and this variant is coming at the same time as a lot more schools just opened up again. People are kind of moving around a little bit more," he said. "You just worry that this variant is coming at kind of the right time. It makes me nervous."
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