4/8/21: Variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S.

Variants: The B.1.1.7 variant is now the dominant form of the coronavirus in the U.S. That’s according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

The B.1.1.7 variant – also known as the U.K. variant – is especially prevalent in Michigan, which has the second highest number of confirmed cases in the nation.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, state health leaders reported that the state has confirmed 1,817 cases of the variant. The true number of cases is likely much higher, but limited screening means officials don’t know the full scope of the problem.

Two other variants have also been confirmed in Michigan. The B.1.351, or South Africa variant, has seven cases. The P.1, or Brazil variant, has two cases.

Michigan: State health officials reported 8,015 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The seven day average jumped more than 200 to 6,174 new cases per day. Michigan is coming ever-nearer to its pandemic peak of more than 7,000 cases per day experienced in late November.

The state reported 30 new deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday. That pushed the average to 33.6 deaths per day over the previous week. The death numbers are still low compared to previous waves of the pandemic, but the average has been rising for the past week.

Kalamazoo County: The county is mirroring the rest of the state in its COVID stats.

County health officials reported 178 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing the seven day average to 136 new infections per day. Wednesday’s was the highest single-day total so far this year, and is similar to numbers not seen since early December.

The county reported no new deaths from the coronavirus. The average stands at 0.4 deaths per day over the past week.