The country's leading epidemiologists disagree about what to call this latest phase of the pandemic. "And we're now, I think, in that cycle where the Upper Midwest is just now beginning to start this fourth surge," Osterholm said, calling Michigan's latest case numbers a "wake-up call." Over the past week, Michigan has reported an average of 6,500 new cases per day, rivaling levels seen during its record-setting winter surge. By the numbers, this latest upswing is on par with the surge of cases in July. "There's enough immunity in the population that you're not going to see a true fourth wave of infection," Gottlieb said.
