It is expected that more than 58,000 Ingham County residents will have at least one dose of the COVID vaccine by this weekend. Even though the vaccination rate is on the rise, Ingham County Health Department expected some potential risks ahead.
Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day and it would be the busiest day of the year for bars and restaurants. In East Lansing, indoor capacity limits are being enforced, and lines outside bars are not permitted, according to WKAR.
Linda Vail, Ingham County Health Officer, spoke with reporters via Zoom on Tuesday, expressing concerns over St. Patrick’s Day and spring break due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
She hopes people will limit traveling and take precautions if they do hit the road.
Vail said, “You know, nobody has locked down travel at this point in time so it’s just a matter of just trying to continue to encourage diligence about what is safe and what is not safe.”
She hopes that diligence could help prevent a spring surge in COVID-19 cases.
“It’s a concerning time, especially when we’re seeing an increase in cases in general, which hopefully, we’re not going to see that giant surge,” she added. “We’re just going to see a little bit of a tip up, and come back down.”
So far, Ingham County has reported more than 17,330 COVID cases and 289 deaths. Michigan has reported more than 676,000 cases and 16,796 deaths. As far as the immunization rate in Michigan is concerned, nearly 12% of the population is fully vaccinated.
