COVID-19 hot spots offer sign of what could be ahead for USFILE - Graham Roark, 8, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years from Lurie Children's hospital registered nurse Virginia Scheffler at the hospital Nov. 5, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)The contagious delta variant is driving up COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Mountain West and fueling disruptive outbreaks in the North, a worrisome sign of what could be ahead this winter in the U.S. COVID-19 is moving north and west for the winter as people head indoors, close their windows and breathe stagnant air. ADVERTISEMENTIn Michigan, the three-county metro Detroit area is again becoming a hot spot for transmissions, with one hospital system reporting nearly 400 COVID-19 patients. “It’s hard to know what’s coming next with this virus,” Marr said.
