Have the number of COVID cases in children increased since schools opened? Does Michigan still report flu deaths?

Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge answers questions about COVID, the vaccine

DETROIT – Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Dr. Frank McGeorge has been keeping viewers up-to-date and informed on all fronts. He’s been answering your questions about the vaccine, the vaccination process and more.

Read: More answers to questions about coronavirus


Since schools reopened have the number of cases in children increased?

The number of outbreak investigations in K-12 schools has tripled in the past week. Also, the 7-day average of new cases is highest among kids age 10 to 19 compared to any other age bracket. That age group has also seen the largest percent increase in the past week for a total of 38%.

Why are kids who are testing positive for COVID being allowed to stay in school?

Kids who test positive should not be allowed back in school until their isolation period is completed. Contact your school and local health department if you have concerns.

I tested positive for COVID and recently got the monoclonal therapy. I am fully vaccinated, also immunocompromised and diabetic. Should I get the third vaccine booster now or wait 90 days?

You should wait 90 days from the monoclonal antibody infusion. The monoclonal antibodies can interfere with the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Will I have the same reaction to the booster shot as I did to the second dose?

That is what we anticipate and that is what the available data suggests. Once boosters are rolled out to millions of people, we will have a more accurate answer.

My daughter, who is unvaccinated, said her hospital sees vaccinated individuals with COVID. With hospitalized patients, what percentage are vaccinated vs. those who are not?

Between Jan. 15 and Sept. 7 there have been more than 13,000 hospitalizations in Michigan for COVID-19. One of those, just under 8% were fully vaccinated. That means 92% were unvaccinated.

Prior to COVID, we used to get the number of deaths in the state attributed to the flu. I haven’t seen anything reported during the COVID pandemic. What has happened to those reports? Are they getting rolled into the COVID numbers, thus inflating COVID death numbers?

The reason you haven’t heard about influenza deaths is because they have been virtually nonexistent since the start of the pandemic. Precautions like masks and social distancing made influenza numbers plummet to a historic low.

Now that many of the prior precautions have been relaxed, many experts are concerned there may be a more significant flu season this year. We will certainly report those numbers.

Read: Complete Michigan COVID coverage


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About the Authors

Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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