Michigan Surpasses 800,000 Coronavirus Cases, 17,000 Deaths

MICHIGAN — More than 800,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Michigan, according to the most recent data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The state reported 5,584 new COVID-19 cases and 45 more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, bringing Michigan's updated coronavirus figures to 804,724 cases and 17,031 deaths, respectively.

Michigan reported 5,259 cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday. As of Friday, 603,094 people in the state had recovered from the coronavirus, state health officials announced Saturday.

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Wednesday's updated coronavirus numbers come as Michigan rests in the midst of a surge in new COVID-19 cases, although some officials have suggested that the surge may be nearing its end.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday said during an interview on Meet the Press that the state could be seeing a drop in its new COVID-19 infections after leading the nation in daily case rates for weeks.

Michigan is "starting to see the beginning of what could be a slowdown, which is welcome," Whitmer said.

The state has been battling back against the COVID-19 surge by attempting — in part — to surge the rate at which it administers additional vaccines.

Michigan surpassed six million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered Tuesday, with more than one million doses having been administered in the past 11 days alone, state officials said.

Officials also have turned toward treatment in an attempt to combat the virus, particularly in the wake of a temporary pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, a move that came after six people who received the vaccine also suffered from blood clots.

Whitmer said in a statement that Michigan is working with the federal government to increase therapeutic treatments in its latest attempt to combat the virus. Whitmer and Michigan health officials said on April 14 that the state is expanding its use of monoclonal antibody therapy — the treatment used by former President Donald Trump when he had COVID-19 — in an attempt to significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.