Michigan’s Coronavirus Cases Trending Upward, State Officials Say

MICHIGAN — As the fall and flu seasons begin, the number of positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Michigan have recently trended upward, prompting a call from public health officials to increase vigilance and preventative measures.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, hospitals and local health officials are calling on Michigan residents to take steps to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases that could overwhelm the hospital systems.

“Michiganders did a great job of bringing our cases down after a surge in the spring,” MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said. “Basic things like wearing masks, maintaining a physical distance from others and washing hands worked. Yet as the colder months and flu season have arrived, we now see a concerning jump in our cases – a trend we can reverse if we all take this seriously and follow best practices to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

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The recent increase in cases, along with people gathering indoors more frequently due to cooler weather, creates a risk of greater community spread, the state said. To protect against the risk of a devastating surge in cases and its impact on Michiganders, MDHHS has issued additional emergency orders to clarify gathering definitions, capacity restrictions, mask requirements and worker protections.

In addition to rising cases across the state, more tests are coming back positive and more residents are being hospitalized compared to previous weeks, according to the state.

Currently, Michigan has 89 daily cases per million people, 3.6 percent of tests are positive and there are 698 COVID-19 hospitalizations. This is compared to the same point last week when we reported 81.6 daily cases per million people, 3.4 percent positivity and 586 hospitalizations for COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Michigan reported more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus, as the number of total confirmed cases in Michigan eclipsed 137,000.