Michigan Asks Residents to Avoid Emergency Rooms as COVID Surge Overwhelm Hospitals

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) urged Michiganders to avoid emergency rooms due to the COVID surge that is overwhelming hospitals.

Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive, said in a statement on Friday that people should consult their medical care provider except in cases of life-threatening emergencies.

"In addition to getting vaccinated, it is important to maintain your routine medical care so that any potential illness gets detected early and can be much more manageable," Bagdasarian said in the statement. "We urge Michiganders to continue seeking medical care but avoid emergency departments unless they have a life-threatening condition."

The state health department said that Michigan's health care systems are burdened by COVID patients who are mostly unvaccinated amid a rise in cases as the new Omicron variant continues to spread nationwide.

The state has seen 85.1 percent of COVID cases, 88.1 percent of hospitalizations, and 85.5 percent of deaths among unvaccinated people from the period between January 15 and December 3, according to the state health department.

The department urged Michigan residents to seek the right place of care depending on their medical needs and severity of symptoms. MDHHS recommended that Michiganders call a health care provider if they suffer from a cold or flu, sprains, rashes or minor burns, ear pain, animal or insect bites, and allergies.

Michigan residents were advised to visit the emergency room in case of a heart attack, stroke, choking, head injuries, severe burns, severe chest pain, broken bones, uncontrolled bleeding, and severe respiratory distress.

Newsweek contacted MDHHS for further comments but did not hear back in time for publication.

Michigan reached a new record high of COVID infections on December 8 with around 4,700 hospitalizations during a fourth surge in cases, according to the Associated Press. Those patients are currently taking up to 21 percent of hospital beds.

Earlier this month, state health officials said that cases and hospitalizations haven't declined after Thanksgiving like they did last year and urged COVID vaccinations and booster shots.

The state's fully vaccinated rate of 55.5 percent is below the current national rate of 60.5 percent.

"For individuals who have not yet been vaccinated, I want to be absolutely clear: You are risking serious illness, hospitalization and even death," state health director Elizabeth Hertel said. "If you have yet to receive the vaccine or you are not yet fully vaccinated, it is not a matter of if you will get sick but when—particularly with a more transmissible variant spreading across the state."

"Michigan continues to trend in a deeply concerning direction heading into the Christmas holiday and the new year," Hertel added.

The first Omicron case in Michigan was discovered earlier in December as researchers continued to examine the severity of the variant.