As Michigan reports more than 8,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day, some experts say the Midwest is entering its "fourth wave," reports CNN.
Michigan reported 8,413 new COVID-19 cases April 3, the state's highest daily case count since Dec. 7, when the state saw 9,350 new cases.
In the first three weeks of March, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Michigan jumped 633 percent for unvaccinated people ages 30 to 39, rising by 800 percent for those aged 40 to 49, according to Michigan Health and Hospital Association data cited by CNN.
"I think it was a wake-up call to everyone yesterday when Michigan reported out at 8,400 new cases, and we're now seeing increasing number of severe illnesses, ICU hospitalizations, in individuals who are between 30 and 50 years of age who have not been vaccinated," Michael Osterholm, PhD, director of Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said April 4 on NBC's "Meet the Press." Dr. Osterholm, an adviser on President Joe Biden's coronavirus task force, added, "In terms of the United States, we're just at the beginning of this surge."
Other experts disagree. On CBS' "Face the Nation," former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, predicted the current surges would not amount to "a true fourth wave," citing the number of Americans who have already had COVID-19 or been vaccinated.