State health officials have predicted increases in both COVID-19 and monkeypox cases in the coming weeks as conditions for transmission improve for the former virus, and testing capacity expands for the latter.
Could both viruses gaining speed at the same time result in capacity challenges for the state’s health care system this fall? Local hospital systems aren’t overly concerned about the potential combined surge.
Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research for Beaumont Health, said there are big differences between the two diseases, including how they’re spread and how severe of illness they’re likely to cause. Each virus comes with its own headaches, but monkeypox isn’t expected to flood hospitals the same way as COVID.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; monkeypox is not the next COVID,” Sims said. “It’s an annoying disease. Pain is one of the symptoms so that’s always difficult ... but the majority of people don’t get admitted to the hospital and if they do it’s usually for a very short time.”
As of Thursday, Aug. 11, Michigan had 90 known cases of monkeypox, spread across 14 counties. Wayne County led all other areas with 34 cases, followed by Oakland with 16 and Macomb with 13.
Monkeypox is a viral infection with symptoms typically including a rash that looks like pimples or blisters, as well as fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A person is infectious while the rash is present and up until scabs have fallen off. Symptoms typically appear 1-2 weeks after exposure, and the rash typically lasts 2-4 weeks, according to the state health department.
No deaths have been reported in the U.S. thus far. Michigan hospitals have reported few, if any, cases in hospitalized patients. Most patients are tested and then sent home.
Michigan ranks 20th in cases, far behind leaders New York (2,187), California (1,892) and Florida (1,053). However, Michigan’s cases did double in about a week, signaling the potential for quick growth as testing becomes more accessible.
Dr. Paul Entler, chief clinical officer for Sparrow Health in Lansing, said he expects the state’s monkeypox case count to continue to rise as testing capacity improves. His hospital became the first in Michigan to start in-house testing of its own, rather than ship out samples to state labs.
Meanwhile, Michigan has reported about 1,919 new COVID cases per day over the last week, which is down slightly from the week prior. Deaths have remained steady at about 15 per day over the last week, and COVID hospitalizations have been stable throughout the summer.
Health officials expect to see another surge of COVID cases this fall as students return to schools and colder weather moves gatherings indoors. How big the surge could be, and what variant causes it, remain to be seen.
Related: More free COVID tests available for Michiganders
Entler said the concern with monkeypox cases rising is more about the workforce than overcrowded hospitals.
“A lot of these cases, it’s two to four weeks with some type of symptoms, so that could mean loss of work, out of school, a lot of different things that could affect people in different ways than just worrying about ‘Am I going to get hospitalized’ like we saw with COVID,” he said.
There are largely two strains of monkeypox in the world, with the less severe type accounting for much, if not all, of the outbreak in the U.S. this summer. As long as that continues, hospitals aren’t expected to be overwhelmed by the virus.
While monkeypox isn’t expected to largely contribute to strained health systems this fall and winter, hospital leaders are preparing for potentially significant waves of COVID alone, or COVID combined with the seasonal flu.
Josh Kooistra, chief medical officer for Spectrum Health West Michigan, noted Michigan’s historically low flu seasons over the last two years. That trend could change as communities have largely gone away from masking, social distancing and being more cognizant of hand hygiene.
In the Southern Hemisphere, for example, Kooistra said reports of influenza are at the highest point of the last five years. It could be a sign of what’s to come.
“As those restrictions are relaxed, as people get more comfortable and interact more closely, those influenza numbers are returning in the Southern Hemisphere and I think we will see similar in the United States,” he said. “We’re preparing for a very, very busy fall and winter season.”
Kooistra encourages Michiganders to get an influenza vaccine this September or October to reduce the risk of winding up in a hospital bed with the flu.
To find a testing site near you, check out the state’s online test find send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
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