Military Sending Medical Personnel To Help Treat Michigan COVID Patients Amid Surge

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The federal government will send 44 military medical personnel to Michigan to help beleaguered hospitals treat COVID-19 patients amid a fourth surge that is the worst in the country, state health officials said Wednesday.

It also will open beds at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Detroit for transfers.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sought assistance.

The two teams of 22 physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists will arrive next week and care for patients for 30 days at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, the state health department said.

As of Monday, nearly 4,000 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases. The 3,700 adults with confirmed infections was more than 90% of the peak from April -- a number that had risen by more than 78% in a month.

"Right now, our doctors and nurses are reporting the vast majority of their patients are unvaccinated or have not yet received a booster dose," Whitmer said in a statement. "We can all do our part to help reduce the strain on our hospital systems by getting vaccinated, making an appointment to get a booster dose and continuing to take precautions to keep ourselves and loved ones safe."

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