Researchers, meanwhile, argue overcrowding and lax protocols in prisons and jails haven't changed enough in the 22 months of the pandemic — whether in Michigan or other states. Michigan's prisons are also experiencing mass vacancies of correctional officers and nurses, among other staff, which are compounded by quarantining officers infected by COVID.

Michigan surpassed 2 million cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 4 as the fourth surge of the pandemic begins to subside, health leaders say. The state surpassed 1 million cases on Sept. 22, 2021.

But some areas of the state are faring better than others, so medical professionals said they aren't ready yet to dismantle quarantine units or call off support from federal medical teams.

Accounts of conditions inside the for-profit hospital were given to The Detroit News by five nurses and doctors — some of whom requested anonymity after a nurse was fired for posting on social media last month — as their reports suggest Sinai-Grace is among the hardest-hit hospitals by Detroit's surge of COVID-19 patients.

Doctors say pregnant women who contract COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to the hospital, face serious complications such as lack of oxygen, place their unborn baby at higher risk or die from the virus. And new research shows being vaccinated during pregnancy or while lactating has benefits for babies.

Experts warn that a greater number of people are likely infected because only a small percentage of samples of the virus are sequenced.