Michigan adds 138 new COVID-19 outbreaks, per Oct. 25 report

Michigan health officials identified 138 new COVID-19 outbreaks last week, which was a reduction of almost 28% from the prior week.

However, with 678 ongoing outbreaks carrying over from previous weekly reports, the state is monitoring 816 active outbreaks as of Monday, Oct. 25. That’s up from 784 total active outbreaks as of Oct. 18.

The most common settings for new outbreaks over the last week include K-12 schools, long-term care facilities and manufacturing/construction sites, followed by social gatherings.

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.

Below is an interactive map of active COVID outbreaks noted in the Oct. 25 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 21 new and 101 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 2N (Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties): 118 clusters, with 20 new and 98 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 2S (city of Detroit and Monroe, Washtenaw and Wayne counties): 56 clusters, with 15 new and 41 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 3 (Saginaw, Alcona, Iosco, Ogemaw, Arenac, Gladwin, Midland, Bay, Genesee, Tuscola, Lapeer, Sanilac and Huron counties): 171 clusters, with 16 new and 155 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 5 (Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties): 47 clusters, with 13 new and 34 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 6 (Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties): 172 clusters, with 27 new and 145 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): 71 clusters, with 18 new and 53 ongoing outbreaks.
Region 8 (Upper Peninsula): 59 clusters, with eight new and 51 ongoing outbreaks.

By category, the outbreaks totaled:

488 clusters (76 new and 412 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.
144 clusters (26 new and 118 ongoing) at long-term care facilities, which include skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, adult day cares and group homes.
41 clusters (10 new and 31 ongoing) were linked to manufacturing or construction sites.
25 clusters (two new and 23 ongoing) occurred at child-care centers or youth programs not associated with a school.
19 clusters (five new and 14 ongoing) linked to private social gatherings, such as a wedding, funeral or party.
16 clusters (three new and 13 ongoing) in jails and prisons.
15 clusters (five new and 10 ongoing) involved retail businesses.
10 clusters (three new and seven ongoing,) were at health-care sites, which would include hospitals, medical and dental offices, dialysis centers and other facilities providing health-care services.
10 clusters (one new and nine ongoing) were linked to bars or restaurants.
Nine clusters (one new and eight ongoing) in office settings.
Five clusters (all ongoing) at homeless or other shelters.
Four clusters (one new and three ongoing) associated with religious services.
Two clusters (both ongoing) linked to personal services, such as a hair and/or nail salon, or a gym or spa.
Two clusters (both ongoing) linked to an indoor community exposure such as a concert, meeting, etc.
One new 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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