Report: State’s pandemic response effective

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency orders related to the coronavirus pandemic were effective in slowing the spread of the virus. That’s one of the findings of a report from the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team.

The report investigated how states responded to the pandemic and what impact those responses had. Researchers found that the governor’s stay-at-home order was especially effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19.

The study shows that before drastic actions were taken, one infected person could spread COVID-19 to at least three other people in Michigan. That rate plummeted after stay-at-home orders were issued, dropping the rate of infection to 0.8 people by the end of April.

“The Imperial College analysis underscores the importance of social distancing measures in reducing transmission and flattening the curve in Michigan,” said University of Michigan associate professor of epidemiology, Dr. Marisa Eisenberg in an interview with Michigan Advance. It “illustrates why continued careful monitoring and mitigation is critical to avoiding a resurgence in transmission.”

You can read the full story here.

You can read the full study here.