Genesee County, MI— Cases in Flint and Genesee County continue to climb, and as districts return to school hospitalizations are also expected to increase, according to the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions.

Recent data for the week of Aug. 8 shows that case positivity rate increased by 9% since the prior week. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s risk level metrics, Genesee County is now at “high risk” for COVID transmission.

Originally reported case counts for the week of Aug. 1 increased by 27% from 166 cases to 210 cases, according to FCHES.

COVID numbers in Flint and Genesee County reported on Aug. 13, 2021 (Courtesy of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions).
COVID numbers in Flint and Genesee County reported on Aug. 20, 2021 (Courtesy of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions).

Current data for the week of Aug. 8 shows a decrease in cases from Aug. 1, but as new data emerges this number will “predictably increase” by next week, FCHES stated.

At present, there were a total of 180 cases confirmed in Genesee County with 36 coming from Flint. Black people accounted for just under half of all Flint cases.

Currently, 26.3% of Genesee County youth ages 12-15 have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 20.9% are fully vaccinated.

Vaccination numbers among residents over the age of 16 increased by less than one percent since the previous week. Approximately 54.2 % have received their first dose, while 45.1% are fully vaccinated.

The CDC now recommends immunocompromised individuals receive a third dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Those who qualify can receive their third shot at any of the Genesee County Health Department vaccine clinics or at most pharmacies.

Health experts have made it clear that it takes approximately 2-3 weeks to have complete reporting on cases for any given week. Recently, the data lag has been more significant. This means that numbers may be notably higher than Flint Beat first reported for the previous week.

Carmen Nesbitt is a journalist with diverse experience in news reporting and feature writing. She wrote for Hour Detroit and SEEN Magazine before joining the Flint Beat news team as an education and public...