| The Detroit News
Michigan added 1,316 coronavirus cases and 34 deaths as a result of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The latest reported figures bring the total number of Michigan cases to 582,719 and deaths to 15,396 since the virus was first detected in March, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
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Despite the reported case groups, Michigan has experienced a downward trend in other coronavirus data.
Last week, the state totaled 5,695 cases and 209 deaths, the lowest total weekly cases in the previous 19 weeks. In the previous week, Michigan recorded 6,576 cases and 256 deaths.
In late November, the state set a weekly record of 50,892 cases. The weekly record of 808 deaths was recorded in mid-December.
Data on hospitalizations, tests and new cases, all tended in hopeful directions, just as the state appears to be passing through a second wave that reached the end of November. The percentage of COVID-19 tests with positive results has dropped to 3.9% and has been declining for the past five weeks, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive.
The number of outbreaks fell 7% from last week. One region, the Upper Peninsula, is below 3% and 82 of the 83 municipalities in the state have a positivity rate below 10%, according to the state.
During the week of February 13, Michigan continued to have the 23rd highest number of cases in the country and the 20th highest mortality rate, according to the COVID data tracker at the Disease Control Center.
Michigan ranks 37th in the country for most hospitalizations and 14th for most patients in intensive care units, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
In Michigan, 5.2% of hospital beds are occupied by patients with coronavirus, a 72% reduction from December’s peak, health officials said.
As of Tuesday, the state had 827 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized, 225 in intensive care units and 93 on ventilators.
On Sunday, Michigan has the second highest number of cases of the B.1.1.7 virus variant. in 210 cases. Florida has the majority, 433 cases.
The first case of the variant was identified in January in a University of Michigan student who had traveled from the United Kingdom. The variant has spread significantly in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. An outbreak of 90 cases at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia County appears to be the largest cluster of the variant and has spread to two other Michigan prisons, prison officials said.
Vaccines launched in phases
As the vaccine continues to be phased out, the state said it remains committed to having 50,000 vaccines administered daily as supplies increase, with a goal of vaccinating 70% of the population aged 16 and over, about 5.6 millions of people ”as soon as possible.”
But they said the plan cannot be fully implemented until the state receives more doses of the vaccine from the federal government.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Wednesday that the state is the ninth nationwide in total vaccines administered and “Our goal remains 50,000 doses per day” for more than 5.6 million eligible people.
The current phase allows the group aged 65 and over to receive a dose of the vaccine, as well as frontline employees such as first responders, some state and federal employees and prison and prison staff. Preschool teachers in grade 12 and child care providers are also eligible for vaccination.
The state health department announced a program on Monday with initiatives to help vaccinate Michigan’s most vulnerable residents, Khaldun said.
Starting this week, mortuary workers, who routinely work with infectious materials, can be vaccinated. In addition, 41 federally qualified health centers in clinically underserved areas will receive vaccines to help people aged 65 and over.
Food processing workers, estimated at 79,000 Michigan residents, may be vaccinated from March 1.
According to data from the Michigan vaccines website, more than 1.7 million doses were administered out of more than 2.3 million doses sent to Michigan.
About 14% of Michigan’s population has at least one dose and 514,000 residents are fully vaccinated, according to the state.
The virus is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths and 28 million confirmed infections in the USA
On Monday, the state reported 80 new outbreaks by Thursday. Of these outbreaks, 21 are in long-term care institutions, such as nursing homes or group homes, and 18 in elementary and high schools.
Construction and manufacturing configurations have 11 new outbreaks.
The state considers 529,080 people recovered from the virus by Friday.
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