Michigan Reports 56,621 Coronavirus Cases, 5,406 Deaths

MICHIGAN — More than 56,600 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Michigan, according to the state's most recent update on the virus Friday.

According to Michigan's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state had reached 56,621 total cases of the virus as of 10 a.m. Friday. The update is an up roughly 600 cases from where the number stood Thursday.

Meanwhile, Khaldun said 34 additional deaths were reported as of Friday, bringing the state's death toll to 5,406.

"This crisis has been difficult for everyone and life as we know it will be different for a while," Khaldun said. "We can get through this. Let's protect ourselves and each other by continuing to wear masks, maintaining an appropriate six-foot distance from each other, not gathering in large crowds and washing our hands often."

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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.

With its updates on Friday, Michigan possesses the eighth highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S., according to the World Health Organization. The group reports that Michigan has the fifth highest total of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. as well.

The U.S., with 1.7 million total cases and over 103,000 coronavirus deaths, according to the World Health Organization, leads the world in both categories.

Nearly 6 million cases of the virus have been confirmed worldwide, with the World Health Organization reported 5.9 million cases as of Friday. The group also reports that more than 364,000 people have died around the world due to the virus. Over 2.6 million people have recovered from the virus, according to the World Health Organization.

The coronvirus has specifically impacted Michigan's elderly population, as Khaldun said nursing home and adult care facilities have been impacted significantly.

Khaldun said that as of this week, with 91 percent of the state's facilities reporting, Michigan has seen 4,949 coronavirus cases have been in nursing facilities across the state. Of those, 1,216 people have died.

"We must do everything we can to ensure that our elderly and our most vulnerable are protecting from the virus and receiving the absolute best medical care," Khaldun said.

According to state data, the majority (18 percent) of Michigan's coronavirus cases have been among people age 50-59. Individuals older than that have died at a higher rate, however; 42 percent of the state's coronavirus deaths have been people 80 years old or older.

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