Michigan's Covid-19 crisis could be a sign of what's to come for the US, expert says

"It's causing a surge in cases and it's causing more severe disease, which means that even younger people, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are getting very sick and being hospitalized from this."

The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is now the dominant strain of the virus in the US.

And it's rapidly spreading across the country.

Florida has the highest number of cases of the variant, followed by Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan is 'on fire'

Michigan's surge is a combination of two factors, Gounder says: the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant combined with people relaxing on mitigation measures before enough residents are vaccinated.

And while some officials -- including Michigan Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer -- are trying to make a case for the federal government to ramp up vaccines to the state, Gounder says that won't help in this case.

Here's why: It takes about two weeks after the Pfizer and Moderna second doses and about two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before people are immune, she said.

Michigan is now reporting thousands of new Covid-19 cases daily, when just weeks ago, state data showed the daily reported case count was as low as 563 cases.

Minnesota health officials warned the state was seeing a "sharp increase" in Covid-19 cases, saying it's "more important than ever" to keep wearing a mask and physical distancing.

Ohio Gov.

Mike DeWine said the state was seeing rising Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions and urged residents to get vaccinated to avoid another surge.

"It's also why we moved up our vaccine eligibility timeframe aggressively."

US needs to address vaccine hesitancy, expert says

Some experts say the US could beat another potential surge in the coming weeks if Americans hold on a little longer and continue to practice safety measures while more of the population is vaccinated against the virus.

So far, about 35.9% of all Americans have gotten at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, according to CDC data.