501 New Coronavirus Cases Reported As MI Eases Restrictions

MICHIGAN — The state reported over 500 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday as officials announced the easing of restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Michigan health officials reported 501 cases of the coronavirus as of 10 a.m. Thursday. The update brings the statewide case total to 53,510.

State health officials also reported an additional 69deaths due to the virus, bringing Michigan's death toll to 5,129.

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State numbers are released daily at 3 p.m. but are indicative of what has been reported by 10 a.m. that day.

Numbers are sometimes altered as public health officials investigate individual cases. Case numbers sometimes do not match numbers provided by respective counties due to several variables, including testing done by private organizations that report to either the state or the county but not both.

Deaths are reported by health care providers and recorded by local health departments. Other data, such as the number of individuals who have recovered at the state level, are released on Saturdays.

Michigan Coronavirus Trends As More Michigan Businesses Reopen

Thursday's numbers update coincides with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announcing that additional businesses will be allowed to reopen with restrictions beginning next week.

Auto dealerships and retail businesses in Michigan can reopen by appointment beginning on Tuesday. Nonessential dental, medical and veterinary procedures are also able to continue starting on May 29. The governor's order also allows gatherings of 10 people or less, with social distancing, immediately.

Related: MI Reopens More Business, Allows Gatherings, Elective Procedures

The decision was data driven, Whitmer said, as the state continues to monitor trends surrounding new cases and new deaths.

"The data has shown that all regions of Michigan are ready for us to take this small step forward," Whitmer said in a news conference Thursday morning. "We're doing this incrementally. As I've said on multiple occasions, this is like a dial we're turning, not a switch that we just flip."

Below is a breakdown of new confirmed cases and newly reported deaths from over the course of the last 10 days:

Coronavirus Cases in Southeast Michigan

Southeast Michigan, and in particular Detroit, have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Below is a breakdown of where the majority of cases have been reported.

While Detroit leads the state in both cases and deaths, Wayne County ranks the highest among Michigan counties in both categories. Oakland County is close behind.

Michigan in National, Global Context

More than 5.1 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported across the globe as of Thursday morning, according to the World Health Organization. Of those, more than 331,000 people have died. However, the organization has reported that nearly 2 million people have recovered from the virus.

The U.S., with it's 1.6 million reported cases of the coronavirus and nearly 95,000 deaths attributed to the virus, leads the world in both categories.

Michigan ranks seventh in the U.S. in total number of confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the World Health Organization. Michigan is fourth in the country in deaths attributed to the virus.

Read More:

• See Coronavirus Cases Reported In Your Oakland County ZIP Code
• See Coronavirus Cases Reported In Your Wayne County Community