GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan has recorded five more deaths linked to coronavirus and on Sunday confirmed 488 more cases, the latest state data shows.
The figures released Monday afternoon bring the total number of deaths to 6,154 and the total number of cases to 78,507 since the virus was first detected in Michigan in March.
Labs in Michigan on Sunday tested 19,275 samples for coronavirus and 589 came back positive. The number of new cases and positive tests do not match because people may be tested more than once. The state says its reporting system accounts for repeat tests so a single person can’t account for more than one case.
The percentage of positive tests was 3.06%, a drop of more than .6% from the previous day and the lowest it had been since July 18, when it was below 3%.
For most of the month, the percentage has been above 3% amid a mild uptick in cases. Aiming to bring that rate consistently below 3%, where it was for much of June, state officials are calling on everyone to wear a mask in public.
Forty-two of the newly confirmed cases were in Kent County, which has now had 6,226 cases since the start of the outbreak. The number of deaths in Kent County remained steady at 149.
As of Friday, the most recent day for which data is available, according to the state’s MI Start Map, the Grand Rapids region no longer has the highest number of new cases per million people per day, again falling behind the Detroit area. The Grand Rapids region’s rate is still slightly higher than in the Kalamazoo region.
Two of the five most recent deaths were in Kalamazoo County, which has now had 77 deaths. It has had 1,339 cases.
Van Buren County also recorded one more death for a total of 10. It has had 329 confirmed cases.
In Wayne County, where the outbreak has been the worst, there was one more death for a total of 2,658. There were 77 more confirmed cases for a total of 24,716 since the outbreak began. In neighboring Oakland County, there have been 10,862 cases (71 more than the previous day) and 1,085 deaths (steady). Macomb County has had 8,655 cases (92 more) and 900 deaths (one more).
Michigan hospitals are still seeing only around 500 inpatients with COVID-19 and have plenty of intensive care beds and ventilators.
Just about anyone who wants a coronavirus test can now get one. You can go to the state’s website to find a site near you, including options to find only free sites or those that don’t require a doctor’s order.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will hold a briefing on the state’s response to the pandemic at 2 p.m. Tuesday. She will be joined by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive. You can watch the briefing live on WOOD TV8 and streaming on woodtv.com.
