Three northern Michigan counties are in high risk communities: Alpena, Kalkaska and Montmorency.

The list of substantial risk counties is now over two dozen – and it includes Grand Traverse County, along with Charlevoix, Crawford, and Mason Counties.

Nefcy says, “We are seeing the variant here in northern Michigan. And what are learning is and even a few positive cases can cause a much higher spread than what we had in the past.”.

“What we do know about the Delta variant is that it is highly contagious – much more so than the original strain,” Dr.

If you live in a “high-risk” or “substantial risk” area, they’re advising you to wear a mask indoors – even if you’ve been vaccinated.

Jennifer Morse says, “We really suspect the Delta variant is more widespread than we expect at this point.” And District Health Department #10 take the advice one step further.

Health officials say that many of those people who are testing positive for COVID and the Delta variant are people who are visiting northern Michigan.

Morse says, “Those numbers will not count towards our Michigan numbers, so that can be a little deceiving.

Morse was also asked whether the Delta variant had contributed to any rise in people getting vaccinated

“We have just over 69.3% of  our eligible employees who are vaccinated.” She says that includes all employees and eligible workers, and Nefcy has said in the past that rates for front-line staff, doctors, and nurses are higher