An estimated 3.5 million Michiganders are expected to travel more than 50 miles between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, just as the numbers of flu cases and COVID-19 cases have started to rise in the state.
The flu season and COVID-19 numbers are tracking upward in the state, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) The weekly reported COVID-19 cases were at 13,043 on recently with 181 deaths for the week. During a recent seven-day period the rate of flu cases went from low to moderate in the state.
The rate of spread for COVID-19 is between low and moderate in the state as of Dec. 15, with most population centers being in the moderate level. However, Menominee and Dickinson counties are still at a high rate of transmission.
The number of people getting the flu vaccine is lower this year than it has been in years, with more than 2.7 million people who have got the vaccine for the year. The goal of the MDHHS is 4 million.
MDHHS data shows 69.1% of the state has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for children under age five.
“We encourage parents and caregivers of those eligible children to get their bivalent vaccine as soon as possible, especially as we head into the holidays and winters months, where more time will be spent indoors,” said MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian.
The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines target two strains of the virus, the original and highly contagious omicron variants.
The amount of travelers could impact the spread over the holiday season, with more than 110,000 people over 2021 expected to travel for the year’s end, according to AAA data.
“Americans are spending more on travel than any other time over the past two years. The good news is the cost for a holiday road trip will be less expensive than anticipated, now that gas prices are on the way down,” said AAA Vice President of Travel Debbie Haas.
Nearly 3.2 million Michiganders were expected to take a road trip.
Flights are expected to be packed, with a 14% increase in air travel over 2021, which has caused a 6% spike in ticket prices over 2021.
“If the distance is not reasonable to drive, more people are flying to maximize the time spent at their destination. Conversely, if the travel distances are reasonable and more than one or two people in the household are taking the trip, it may be more cost-effective to drive rather than buy multiple air tickets and rent a car,” Haas said.
Though airfare is up, the cost of car rentals is down by 19% from last year.
AAA put out a list of the best and worst times to travel. Dec. 23 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Christmas Eve between noon and 6 p.m. will be the worst travel.
Dec. 23 before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m. are expected to be better travel times, with Christmas Eve travel being better before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
Christmas and New Year’s days will have the least amount of traffic.
Peak congestion for airports is expected to be on Dec. 27 and 28 and Jan. 2.
The worst travel day for all-around congestion is expected to be Dec. 27.
“If you plan on flying this time of year, travel insurance can be extremely valuable for air travelers,” Haas said. “There are policies that can provide compensation for flight delays for as little as three hours. And if your flight is cancelled, passengers can receive compensation for covered out-of-pocket expenses.”
This story courtesy of MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.