Coronavirus in Michigan: Heres what to know April 18, 2021 – WDIV ClickOnDetroit

DETROIT The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 785,307 as of Saturday, including 16,840 deaths, state officials report.

Saturdays update includes a total of 5,530 new cases and 69 additional deaths -- 60 of those deaths were identified from a Vital Records review.

Fridays update included a total of 8,955 new cases and 40 additional deaths. It was the second highest single-day case total in Michigan since the start of the pandemic. On Nov. 20, 2020 the state reported a total of 9,779 cases, its highest case total to date.

On Saturday, the state reported a total of 603,094 recoveries from COVID-19.

New: Michigan governor to appear on Meet the Press Sunday, April 18 with Dr. Anthony Fauci as states COVID cases continue surging

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Latest: Worldwide COVID-19 death toll tops a staggering 3 million

Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate above 14% as of Friday, lower than one week ago. Hospitalizations have increased over the last several weeks, now at the highest point of the pandemic.

Michigan continues to lead the nation in new COVID-19 cases. The states 7-day moving average for daily cases was 6,949 on Friday -- the highest since November. The 7-day death average was 47 on Friday, slightly higher than the last two weeks. The states fatality rate is 2.2%. The state also reports active cases, which were listed at 175,000 on Friday.

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Michigan has reported more than 5.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Thursday, with 44% of residents having received at least one dose.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 31.5 million cases have been reported in the U.S., with more than 566,000 deaths reported from the virus.

Worldwide, more than 140 million people have been confirmed infected and more than 3 million have died. More than 79 million have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.

Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases

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Coronavirus headlines:

VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 vaccine doses

VIEW: Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools

Michigan has extended the COVID-19 order that implemented restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, entertainment venues and more.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extended the epidemic order through May 24. It also expanded mask requirements to include children ages 2-4 years old.

Michigan continues to implement smart health policies and mitigation measures to fight the spread of COVID-19, MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said. This includes the requirement to wear a mask while in public and at gatherings, limits on indoor residential social gatherings larger than 15 people with no more than three households, and expanded testing requirements for youth sports.

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Read the latest on the restrictions here.

The director of the CDC said the answer to Michigans alarming rise in COVID-19 cases isnt to vaccinate our way out of it, but to shut things down like the state did last spring and summer.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, spoke Monday about the COVID-19 situation in Michigan.

On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Michigan a COVID hotspot and called on the federal government to surge additional vaccines here in response to rising case numbers.

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Read more here.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health department are asking residents to follow certain voluntary COVID-19 restrictions, such as avoiding indoor dining, suspending sports and returning to remote learning.

On Friday, Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, spoke about the alarming COVID-19 trends in Michigan.

I am quite concerned with what we are seeing in our data, Khaldun said We are on track to potentially see a surge in cases thats even greater than the one we saw in the fall.

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The city of Detroit is launching eight neighborhood COVID-19 vaccination sites, adding to an expansion at TCF Center, to combat surging cases and hospitalizations in the city.

Detroits vaccination rate, 21% as of Monday, is far below neighboring areas and overall state average, which is 35%. The city is expanding options for residents with an urgent message: Get vaccinated.

Next week, the city will be offering eight additional locations throughout the week, in addition to its Community Saturdays and other outreach programs, to provide Detroiters with the opportunity to get vaccinated in a convenient and familiar location close to home.

Read here.

All Michigan residents age 16 and up became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5, nearly a month before the May 1 date pledged by President Joe Biden.

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People age 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities will qualify starting March 22, when 50- to 64-year-olds can begin getting shots under a previous announcement. Two days later, March 24, a federally selected regional mass vaccination site will open at Detroits Ford Field to administer an additional 6,000 doses a day for two months.

Learn more here.

MORE: Michigans updated COVID-19 vaccination schedule: Who is eligible and when

The COVID-19 variant detected in Brazil has been identified in Bay County. That variant is known as the P1 strain and it is more contagious and more than 50% able to reinfect.

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The person infected in Bay County and the people theyve been in contact with will need to quarantine for 14 days. Its unclear what effect, if any, it will have on those, including seniors, who have already been vaccinated as there isnt enough research to know exactly.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement Tuesday after White House officials announced that there will increase COVID-19 vaccine doses available for Michigan starting next week.

According to a press release, next weeks shipment will increase by 66,020 bringing the total number of doses to 620,040 -- a weekly record for the state. Officials said the allocation includes 147,800 doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

This comes after Whitmer recently requested for more vaccines as the state is seeing a rise in COVID numbers.

The CDC said that Michigan is leading the country in new cases of COVID-19 per population.

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On Tuesday, officials reported 5,177 new COVID cases and 48 additional deaths, including 20 from a Vital Records review. On Monday, the state reported 660,771 total cases and 16,034 deaths.

Local 4s Dr. Frank McGeorge said hes seen a very clear increase in COVID patients at the hospital where he works.

Many of them need to be hospitalized. I would honestly say, this feels worse to me here in Southeast Michigan than it was during the wave that started in November. Now, the most concerning trend is the number of middle-aged people with severe COVID, McGeorge said.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that the first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.351 has been identified in a child in Jackson County.

The health department did not say how the boy was infected but a case investigation is underway to determine close contacts and if there are additional cases associated.

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This new variant was originally detected in South Africa in October 2020 and shares some mutations with the B117 variant. The first case of the B117 variant -- originally detected in the United Kingdom -- was identified in Washtenaw County.

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported cases since March 15:

March 15 -- 1,572 new cases

March 16 -- 2,048 new cases

March 17 -- 3,164 new cases

March 18 -- 2,629 new cases

March 19 -- 3,730 new cases

March 20 -- 2,660 new cases

March 21 -- 2,400 new cases

March 22 -- 2,401 new cases

March 23 -- 3,579 new cases

March 24 -- 4,454 new cases

March 25 -- 5,224 new cases

March 26 -- 5,030 new cases

March 27 -- 4,670 new cases

March 28 -- 4,101 new cases

March 29 -- 4,101 new cases

March 30 -- 5,177 new cases

March 31 -- 6,311 new cases

April 1 -- 6,036 new cases

April 2 -- 5,498 new cases

April 3 -- 8,413 new cases

April 4 -- 5,146 new cases

April 5 -- 5,147 new cases

April 6 -- 4,964 new cases

April 7 -- 8,015 new cases

April 8 -- 7,819 new cases

April 9 -- 7,834 new cases

April 10 -- 6,892 new cases

April 11 -- 4,837 new cases

April 12 -- 4,837 new cases

April 13 -- 8,867 new cases

April 14 -- 7,955 new cases

April 15 -- 6,303 new cases

April 16 -- 8,955 new cases

April 17 -- 5,530 new cases

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported deaths since March 15:

March 15 -- 5 new deaths

March 16 -- 27 new deaths (6 from vital records)

March 17 -- 0 new deaths

March 18 -- 25 new deaths (24 from vital records)

March 19 -- 15 new deaths

March 20 -- 47 new deaths -- (39 from vital records)

March 21 -- 3 new deaths

March 22 -- 3 new deaths

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Coronavirus in Michigan: Heres what to know April 18, 2021 - WDIV ClickOnDetroit

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