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Health Officer: Rise In Positive Coronavirus Tests Not Related To New Variant

Linda Vail Zoom image
Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail, speaking with reporters via Zoom on Tuesday

Ingham County is experiencing a higher percentage of positive coronavirus tests in recent weeks.

The latest numbers show a positivity rate just over 9-percent in Ingham County. Health Officer Linda Vail says that’s “a very high number,” but she doesn’t think it’s linked to the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus, which is highly contagious, adding "some of it is just an increase in cases, but we have some decreases in testing.”

Vail continues to encourage vaccinations. She says 40-percent of Ingham County residents 16 and older have gotten at least one dose of vaccine. By the end of the week, almost 61,000 people will have been administered a vaccine in the county.

More than 15,000 people in the county have recovered from COVID-19.

Scott Pohl has maintained an on-call schedule reporting for WKAR following his retirement after 36 years on the air at the station.
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