MICHIGAN, USA — COVID-19 cases in Michigan continue to be lower than in January and February, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) continues to warn Michiganders that the pandemic is not over.
In a recent interview, MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Bagdasarian reminded Michiganders that COVID is not over yet.
"Unfortunately, this is not the end of the pandemic. But what we're seeing right now is Michigan is in a relatively safer time period. And so it is good news, it's just that we know it's not going to be like this forever."
Dr. Bagdasarian spoke about the possibility of another surge related to some outside force like a new COVID variant, colder weather or the beginning of the next school year.
Vaccination remains a key mitigation strategy for the state as well as the rest of the country, and Pfizer and Moderna have been working with the Food and Drug Association (FDA) to approve additional booster shots.
Moderna has been asking the FDA to approve a fourth shot for everyone over the age of 18 while Pfizer has only been asking to get approval for an additional booster for seniors.
"It could be that every, every few years, a booster dose is needed. And we won't have the answer to that until the vaccines and the virus has been around for just a little bit longer. But I think it's possible there could be another booster dose in the future for many of us," says Dr. Bagdasarian.
MDHHS still strongly supports vaccinations and boosters and also encourages masking in certain settings.
"One of the things that we are really communicating to the public right now is that there are some settings where we are recommending masking across the state," Dr. Bagdasarian said. "Those are congregate settings. Those are places like long term care facilities, health care facilities, correctional facilities, we also recommend masking when people are in quarantine and isolation. And then, of course, if there are local policies or federal policies, we recommend following those, but in terms of other times where you may want to wear a mask, that really depends on your individual preferences and risk factors."
Dr. Bagdasarian warns that COVID is not going away and that vaccination is still the best defense. She encourages everyone to get vaccinated and boosted if eligible.
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