GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan has reported 8,413 new coronavirus cases and 57 more deaths linked to the virus.
Fifty-one of the deaths from Saturday’s update were discovered during a review of death certificates to find any that had not already been reported to the state. Such checks are run three times per week.
On Friday, labs across the state ran 48,307 tests for the virus and 8,512 were positive, a percentage of 17.6%. During the fall surge, the daily positivity rate never rose above 16%, though the state was running more samples each day.
The number of positive tests is not the same as the number of new cases because people may be tested more than once. Additionally, testing numbers are from a single calendar date, while the number of new cases lists the increase since the last time the state compiled the data; these two time frames do not match up precisely.
The state counts 577,141 patients as recovered; that estimate counts everyone still alive 30 days after developing symptoms. It does not account for the “long-haulers” who suffer symptoms, including loss of smell and taste, trouble breathing and brain fog, for months after contracting the virus.
Kent County reported one more death, bringing its total to 690 deaths. It confirmed 470 new cases, bringing it up to 54,323 total cases since the start of the pandemic.
The following West Michigan counties also saw more deaths:
- Calhoun County: One more death for 230 total; 9837 total confirmed cases
- Kalamazoo County: One more death for 291 total; 15617 total confirmed cases
- Montcalm County: One more death for 89 total; 3768 total confirmed cases
- Ottawa County: Three more deaths for 331 total; 23,853 total confirmed cases
- St. Joseph county: One more death for 85 total; 3675 total confirmed cases
Wayne County, where Detroit is, reported nine more deaths, for a total of 4,048. Their cases total is now 113,464, having reported 1,676 more. Oakland County has had 77,989 confirmed cases (1,183 more than the previous day) and 1,954 deaths (3 more). Macomb County has had 69,759 cases (1,279 more) and 1940 deaths (11 more).
Michigan is in a virus surge, with the average case rate now higher than it has been since early December. The positivity rate has seen a sharp uptick, with a seven-day average now above 14%, nearly five times the 3% public health officials look for to show community spread is controlled. Hospitalizations have nearly tripled in the last month.
“Over the last one to two weeks, we’ve really seen our inpatient admissions jump up dramatically,” Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, president of Spectrum Health West Michigan, said earlier this week. “As a matter of fact, the slope of that curve or the increase is actually a bit faster than what we saw in the October-November time frame.”
State officials are now worried about people taking spring break trips, particularly to Florida, which also has a high infection rate right now. They are urging people to get tested before and after travel.
The good news so far is that the daily death rate, though it has climbed slightly in the last week, has remained fairly low.
Also encouraging: The state is continuing to ramp up its vaccination rollout. Effective Monday, everyone age 16 and up will be eligible to get the shots. Some counties, cities and hospitals made that move early, including the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids.
That clinic this week administered its 100,000th shot. Also, on March 29, it set a state and possibly national record for shots administered in a single day at a single clinic, giving about 12,500. It expected to see another record day Monday.
In all, Michigan has seen more than 4.5 million doses administered; about 35% of the population over 16 has gotten at least one. The goal is to fully vaccinate 70% of that population.
