Michigan epidemiologist testifies: COVID numbers stable, but still too high

Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers have been stable for months now. Since July, Michigan’s new COVID-19 infections have hovered generally between 600 and 700 new cases per day – well below numbers from April, but still far above where we were in June.

Michigan’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Sarah Lyon-Callo, told lawmakers Wednesday that the state is on an “elevated plateau” based on infection rates. That means state leaders aren’t likely to loosen COVID-19 rules anytime soon.

Lyon-Callo and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon testified for two hours Wednesday in front of the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Lyon-Callo told lawmakers her department examines coronavirus data very closely to see whether previous rule changes made any difference to infection rates.

“If you’ve made a change, you need two weeks to understand what that change did,” Lyon-Callo said. “We try to make incremental changes with that in mind.”

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