Coronavirus Update: Have we Flattened the Curve in Michigan?

Coronavirus Update for Detroit and Michigan

As of the filming of this video, there were 32,967 coronavirus cases in the State of Michigan and 2,700 confirmed deaths in the State of Michigan. The increase from April 21st to April 22nd was 967 new cases and 232 new deaths.

This death count was pushed up by deaths that occurred previously and were not attributed to Coronavirus, but are now attributed to Coronavirus. In the video, we mistakenly attributed this jump in new deaths to perhaps an accurate counting of bodies at DMC's Sinai Grace Hospital (https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/disturbing-images-show-bodies-piled-up-at-sinai-grace-hospital-in-detroit), but this was not the case.

Flattening the Curve

In Detroit and in Michigan, we seem to be flattening the curve. Our public health efforts and the greater community support of these measures seems to be working to reduce the number of new infections. On April 3rd, there were nearly 2,000 cases reported that day. As of April 22nd, there were only 967 new cases reported. This is a good sign that we're being effective in our community strategies and social distancing efforts.

How Vaccines Work and How They May Help Us Prevent Coronavirus in the Future

Vaccines work when scientists are able to take a virus, break it down, and inject only the protein capsule into the body. That's what we, as scientists, do with the flu vaccine. We remove the RNA from the virus, the part of the virus that replicates and creates more viruses, and we give our patients only the viral proteins.

This way, our bodies can create antibodies or a robust immune response to the viral proteins, and prevent a larger infection from taking hold when we're exposed to the actual virus.

What's an Example of a Successful Vaccine from the Past?

Let's use Polio as an example.

In the late 1940s, polio outbreaks in the U.S. increased in frequency and size, crippling an average of more than 35,000 people each year. Parents were frightened to let their children go outside, especially in the summer when the virus seemed to peak. Travel and commerce between affected cities were sometimes restricted. Public health officials imposed quarantines (used to separate and restrict the movement of well people who may have been exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become ill) on homes and towns where polio cases were diagnosed.(https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/polio-us.html)

In 1952, the number of polio cases in the U.S. peaked at 57,879, resulting in 3,145 deaths. Those who survived this highly infectious disease could end up with some form of paralysis, forcing them to use crutches, wheelchairs or to be put into an iron lung, a large tank respirator that would pull air in and out of the lungs, allowing them to breathe. (https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-deadly-polio-epidemic-and-why-it-matters-for-coronavirus)

The first polio vaccine was available in the United States in 1955, invented by Jonas Salk.

Thanks to the polio vaccine, dedicated health care professionals, and parents who vaccinate their children on schedule, polio has been eliminated in this country for more than 30 years. This means that there is no year-round transmission of poliovirus in the United States.

• Since 1979, no cases of polio have originated in the U.S.

• However, the virus has been brought into the country by travelers with polio. The last time this happened was in 1993.

Hopefully, we can achieve the same results with a future Coronavirus Vaccine.

What is Herd Immunity?

Herd Immunity means that enough people in the population are immune to the Coronavirus, which will greatly limit its spread.

This Herd Immunity can be achieved in a few different ways. First, once a number of Americans get the Coronavirus, they will fight off the infection and become immune, limiting the spread of the virus once they recover.

Second, once a vaccine is developed, many more people will become immune through vaccination. Just like being vaccinated for the influenza virus, or for Polio, or for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, once you’ve been vaccinated for these viruses, your body creates immunoglobulins or antibodies to help protect you from infection from these viruses.

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine will take 18 months to 2 years to develop, so this option will take a long time to achieve.

Thanks for reading and watching,

- Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich with Plum Health DPC