Michigan’s COVID-19 outbreaks tick up 6% last week, per Oct. 11 report

Muskegon County coronavirus deaths soar

Hackley Community Care COVID-19 curbside testing site at 2700 Baker Street in Muskegon Heights on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

Michigan reported 758 active COVID-19 outbreaks last week, up 5.7% from the prior week when there were 717.

The health department’s latest outbreaks report, published Monday, Oct. 11, included 161 new outbreaks and 597 that carried over from previous weekly reports.

Among the new outbreaks, 81 were linked to K-12 schools, 30 came from long-term care facilities, and 11 were tied to childcare/youth programs.

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 count is likely less than reality.

Related: 477 infected across 83 new COVID outbreaks at Michigan schools

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. 11 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): 122 clusters, with 29 new and 93 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 2N (Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties): 81 clusters, with 26 new and 55 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 2S (city of Detroit and Monroe, Washtenaw and Wayne counties): 68 clusters, with 13 new and 55 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 3 (Saginaw, Alcona, Iosco, Ogemaw, Arenac, Gladwin, Midland, Bay, Genesee, Tuscola, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron counties): 166 clusters, with 27 new and 139 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 5 (Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties): 49 clusters, with 10 new and 39 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 6 (Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties): 133 clusters, with 26 new and 107 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): 69 clusters, with 19 new and 50 ongoing outbreaks.
  • Region 8 (Upper Peninsula): 70 clusters, with 11 new and 59 ongoing outbreaks.

By category, the outbreaks totaled:

  • 404 clusters (83 new and 321 ongoing) at K-12 school or colleges. A total of 393 outbreaks involved K-12 schools, with the remaining 11 outbreaks on or around college campuses.
  • 138 clusters (30 new and 108 ongoing) at long-term care facilities, which include skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, adult day cares and group homes.
  • 42 clusters (11 new and 31 ongoing) occurred at child-care centers or youth programs not associated with a school.
  • 40 clusters (seven new and 33 ongoing) were linked to manufacturing or construction sites.
  • 28 clusters (six new and 22 ongoing) involved retail businesses.
  • 15 clusters (three new and 12 ongoing,) were at health-care sites, which would include hospitals, medical and dental offices, dialysis centers and other facilities providing health-care services.
  • 13 clusters (four new and nine ongoing) in jails and prisons.
  • 12 clusters (four new and eight ongoing) were linked to bars or restaurants.
  • 12 clusters (four new and eight ongoing) linked to private social gatherings, such as a wedding, funeral or party.
  • 11 clusters (four new and seven ongoing) in office settings.
  • Seven clusters (all ongoing) linked to an outdoor community exposure like a concert, rally, protest, parade, etc.
  • Three clusters (all ongoing) at homeless or other shelters.
  • Two clusters (both ongoing) at migrant camps or other agriculture workplaces, such as food-processing plants.
  • Two clusters (both ongoing) linked to personal services, such as a hair and/or nail salon, or a gym or spa.
  • Two clusters (one new and one ongoing) associated with religious services.
  • Two clusters (both ongoing) linked to an indoor community exposure such as a concert, meeting, 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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