Though New York City has emerged as the epicenter of the novel coronavirus' spread in the United States, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich. Dist. 12) warned "We are, in Michigan, the next Ground Zero."
By Sunday evening, her state had the fourth highest case count in the nation, with more than 5,400 patients and at least 132 deaths.
The first case in Michigan was reported on March 10, and the virus quickly spread. Infections have swept through public services like the Detroit police and fire departments, raising immediate concerns that the area will be pressed for resources.
More than 1,500 of the state's cases are in Detroit, which neighbors Dingell's district. Both Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, and Dr. Deborah Birx, Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator, warned that Detroit's trajectory is concerning.
"We're obviously, like many in America and in the world, frightened by what's happening in our community," Dingell told Cheddar Monday.
"We're seeing people get sick," she said, noting she knows 10 people who have died in the last 12 days.
Though she warned state and local governments will need more help moving forward, Dingell said there were a number of critical issues proposed for last week's bill meant to help Americans, some of which made it into the final version of the $2.2 trillion aid bill and some of which did not.
"Thankfully in our state, we've turned the water on for everybody," she said, after some in Detroit, a city with a poverty rate nearly three times higher than the national average, lost access to the utility. "People have to be able to wash their hands. We need to get relief into [a phase IV bill] that's going to do basic things like make sure every American has running water."
While reminding Americans to stay home to keep others safe, Dingell noted that today marks two weeks since she had seen another human being in-person.
