LANSING (AP) — Michigan had the country’s fifth-highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the last week and is among 14 states where infections rose over the past two weeks, a trend that state health officials said is potentially tied to the increasing prevalence of a more contagious coronavirus variant.

One in every 602 people was diagnosed in the past week, a rate that was higher than in 45 states. Michigan had the country’s 10th-highest per-capita case rate over the last 14 days. The seven-day case average is 2,372, up from 1,335 on March 1.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, said Michigan is in a ìdifferent placeî than earlier in the pandemic because of vaccinations but warned herd immunity is in the distance. More than 25% of the age 16-plus population had received at least one dose as of Tuesday.