Michigan health officials identified 191 new COVID-19 outbreaks last week, which was up nearly 19% from the previous week.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services’ weekly outbreaks report noted 593 ongoing outbreaks as of Monday, Oct. 18. That’s a cumulative total of 784 outbreaks -- an increase of 3.4% from last Monday.
More than half of the new outbreaks were linked to K-12 schools (101), while 34 were reported by long-term care facilities, 15 were tied to childcare programs, and 11 were associated with manufacturing/construction settings.
Some settings, like nursing homes and youth programs, are easier to track outbreaks due to testing requirements. Others like social gatherings, bars and restaurants are more challenging. Thus, the state warns that its outbreak total is likely an undercount.
Throughout the pandemic, an outbreak has generally been defined as an instance in which two or more cases are linked by a place and time, indicating a shared exposure outside of a household. However, Michigan recently changed that definition to “three or more cases” when referring to schools, in an effort to “promote consistent reporting amongst states.”
Below is an interactive map of active COVID outbreaks noted in the Oct. 18 school outbreaks report. Hover over a colored dot to see the school and how many cases were linked to the given outbreak.
Can’t see the map? Click here
Outside of K-12 schools and colleges, MDHHS is not identifying specific locations or the number of coronavirus cases. However, it is listing the information by the state’s eight health district regions. (Note those regions have different numbers than the MI Safe Start Plan.)
By region, the breakdown of the clusters:
- Region 1 (Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston and Shiawassee counties): 106 clusters, with 25 new and 81 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 2N (Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties): 105 clusters, with 42 new and 63 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 2S (city of Detroit and Monroe, Washtenaw and Wayne counties): 70 clusters, with 20 new and 50 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 3 (Saginaw, Alcona, Iosco, Ogemaw, Arenac, Gladwin, Midland, Bay, Genesee, Tuscola, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron counties): 164 clusters, with 31 new and 133 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 5 (Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties): 49 clusters, with 14 new and 35 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 6 (Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties): 161 clusters, with 41 new and 120 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 7 (Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Crawford, Oscoda, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Ilse, Cheboygan, Emmet and Charlevoix counties): 76 clusters, with 12 new and 64 ongoing outbreaks.
- Region 8 (Upper Peninsula): 53 clusters, with six new and 47 ongoing outbreaks.
By category, the outbreaks totaled:
- 420 clusters (101 new and 319 ongoing) at K-12 school or colleges. A total of 412 outbreaks involved K-12 schools, with the remaining eight outbreaks on or around college campuses.
- 148 clusters (34 new and 114 ongoing) at long-term care facilities, which include skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, adult day cares and group homes.
- 46 clusters (11 new and 35 ongoing) were linked to manufacturing or construction sites.
- 37 clusters (15 new and 22 ongoing) occurred at child-care centers or youth programs not associated with a school.
- 25 clusters (four new and 21 ongoing) involved retail businesses.
- 18 clusters (eight new and 10 ongoing) linked to private social gatherings, such as a wedding, funeral or party.
- 17 clusters (five new and 12 ongoing) in jails and prisons.
- 14 clusters (one new and 13 ongoing,) were at health-care sites, which would include hospitals, medical and dental offices, dialysis centers and other facilities providing health-care services.
- 12 clusters (one new and 11 ongoing) were linked to bars or restaurants.
- 12 clusters (two new and 10 ongoing) in office settings.
- Five clusters (two new and three ongoing) at homeless or other shelters.
- Three clusters (one new and two ongoing) linked to personal services, such as a hair and/or nail salon, or a gym or spa.
- Three clusters (one new and two ongoing) associated with religious services.
- Two clusters (both ongoing) linked to an indoor community exposure such as a concert, meeting, etc.
- One ongoing cluster at migrant camps or other agriculture workplaces, such as food-processing plants.
- One ongoing cluster linked to an outdoor community exposure like a concert, rally, protest, parade, etc.
Outbreaks will be removed from the database if there are no additional cases through a 14-day period, state MDHHS officials have said.
State officials note that the chart does not provide a complete picture of outbreaks in Michigan, and an absence of identified outbreak in a particular setting is not evidence that the setting is not having outbreaks.
“Many factors, including the lack of ability to conduct effective contact tracing in certain settings, may result in significant under-reporting of outbreaks,” the state’s website reads.
For more statewide data, visit MLive’s coronavirus data page, here.
To find a testing site near you, check out the state’s online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
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