Michigan Reports 190 New Coronavirus Deaths Tuesday

MICHIGAN — More than 366,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Michigan, health officials said Tuesday.

The state, which reported a confirmed 5,793 new cases on Tuesday, now has reported a total of 366,242 cases overall. Michigan also reported 190 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, 30 of which were identified through a vital records search. The 190 new deaths is the highest the state has reported since April. The coronavirus death toll in Michigan has now reached 9,324.

More than 165,000 people in Michigan have recovered from the coronavirus, state health officials said on Saturday.

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Among the over 9,000 COVID-19 deaths in Michigan are Leslie and Patricia McWaters, a married couple in Jackson, Michigan, who died a minute apart from another Nov. 24. They had been married for more than 47 years, according to their obituary.

"They did almost everything together, so it should be no surprise that they went to be with the Lord together within the very same minute," the family wrote in the couple's obituary. "The hospital staff that cared for them, as they lost their battle to COVID, said it was too close to call. They recorded their deaths at the exact same time, Tuesday, November 24, 2020, at 4:23 PM.

"Those of us that know them, know that mom went first and said, 'LD, it's time to go!'"

The more than 5,700 new coronavirus cases reported Tuesday are substantial, but the number is lower than what had been reported on average in recent weeks in Michigan. Whether that trend continues could prove key in whether the state continues a three-week pause on indoor dining at Michigan eateries that's set to expire next week.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said a decision on that could come next week, but the governor did not say how exactly that decision would be made, explaining only that she has been consulting with state and federal health officials.

"I think we're all feeling that anxiety, but no one as acutely as restaurant workers," Whitmer said about whether the pause would be extended. "That's why we are really being thoughtful and targeted and listening to our public health experts as we design a path forward here in Michigan."