Middle age adults driving rise in COVID hospitalizations

COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise in Michigan, but the age groups leading the rise aren’t the same as during previous waves of the pandemic.

Due to early efforts to vaccinate the elderly, that age group is being protected from the ravages of the coronavirus. Instead, younger, unvaccinated adults made up the bulk of new hospitalizations over the past few weeks.

The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in Michigan has almost doubled since the start of the month. The Michigan Health and Hospital Association reports that a majority of that increase has come from people between the ages of 30 and 49.

According to inpatient data they collected from member hospitals, hospitalizations increased 633% among people age 30 to 39 since March 1. The rise was even more stark among people age 40 to 49. Their hospitalization rate rose 800% in the same time period.

At the same time, hospitalizations among people age 60 and up increased much less. Hospitalizations among people age 80 and up rose just 37%. That’s the opposite of what happened in the fall when older adults made up an outsize proportion of the hospital patients.

The reason for the difference is simple, according to MHA Chief Medical Officer Gary Roth.

“Michigan is making progress at ultimately defeating the COVID-19 pandemic through increasing vaccination rates,” he said. “But the war is not yet over.”

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