PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — There is a bit of good news when it comes to COVID-19 and it's that hospitalizations remain relatively low even though an increase in cases across metro Detroit has prompted the CDC to list community levels of COVID-19 as "medium."
"We're at that point where the immune levels in our community are such that we're not really seeing truly severe cases," said Dr. Russell Faust, Medical Director for the Oakland County Health Division.
"Don't misunderstand me, there are still people that are hospitalized with COVID, but the hospitals are not 110% full as they have been previously," he added.
Dr. Faust attributes the low level of severe illness to so many people being fully vaccinated and boosted as well as those who have increased immunity after already recovering from COVID-19.
Dr. Faust said Mother's Day is a special time and he doesn't want to tell anyone to avoid their mom. Instead, he urges some recommendations, beginning with knowing any health factors that could put you or your mom at risk for severe COVID-19 illness.
Dr. Faust recommends masking and social distancing to protect yourself or anyone at high risk.
And if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, get tested and isolate from others. If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, Dr. Faust recommends testing five to seven days after the exposure.
You can contact Oakland County's Nurse On Call (NOC) phone service to speak to a nurse about health and related resources.
You can reach a nurse by calling 1-800-848-5533 Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5 PM. You can also send them a message at noc@oakgov.com.
Click on the video to hear Dr. Faust talk about why getting a flu shot may now be more important than ever.
