109 Michigan Schools Report COVID-19 Outbreaks

Michigan Advance

September 16, 2021

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Monday that a total of 976,505 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 20,535 have died from the virus — an additional 6,093 cases and 29 deaths since Friday.

The new numbers combine Saturday, Sunday and Monday recorded cases and deaths, with an average of 2,031 new confirmed cases per day. DHHS now publishes COVID-19 data three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The deaths announced include nine deaths identified during a vital records review. The DHHS conducts this review process two times per week.

DHHS also reports that an additional 118,695 Michiganders have been identified as “probable” cases for COVID-19, as well as 1,319 probable deaths. The department began tracking probable cases on April 5, 2020.

Combining the state’s confirmed positive cases with probable cases brings the total up to 1,095,200 statewide cases and 21,854 deaths.

As all Michigan schools have begun 2021-22 classes, the state is reporting school and sports-related COVID-19 outbreaks. As of Monday, 101 pre-kindergarten-12 schools and eight universities — Alma College, Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University, Northwood University, Adrian College, Northern Michigan University, University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University — are reporting new or ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.

Eleven pre-kindergarten-12 schools have outbreaks of 10 cases or more, including South Christian High School in Byron Center (21 cases), Pinconning High School in Pinconning (16 cases), Gladwin Elementary School in Gladwin (16 cases) and Adams Elementary in Midland (30 cases).

Four of the colleges and universities have outbreaks of 10 cases or more, including University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (283 cases), Northwood University in Midland (25 cases), Eastern Michigan University (21 cases), and Adrian College (12 cases).

Michigan State University was not included in the DHHS list, but the school reported it “is aware of 242 cases of COVID-19 among students and 64 cases among faculty and staff since the week of Aug. 2.”

The virus has been detected in all of Michigan’s 83 counties. The state’s COVID-19 fatality rate is currently at 2.1%.

As of Friday, the state reported that 896,206 people have recovered from COVID-19.

The first two cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state on March 10, 2020. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency that day.

Johns Hopkins University reports that there are about 225 million confirmed cases worldwide and 4.6 million deaths. The United States makes up a significant portion of those, as about 41 million confirmed cases and 660,000 deaths have been recorded nationally.

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