(WWJ) While the curve flattens, the numbers still climb.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 980 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the state, and 119* new deaths confirmed on Thursday. That brings the totals to 41,379 confirmed cases, and 3,789 deaths in Michigan during the coronavirus pandemic.
The hardest-hit area of the state remains the City of Detroit, which is counted separately. As of Thursday, there have been 9,057 cases confirmed and 1,035 deaths in the city, the health department says.
Looking at the suburbs: The remainder of Wayne County has 7,672 cases and 747 deaths. Oakland County has 7,267 cases and 696 deaths, and Macomb County has 5,513 cases and 603 deaths. The hardest-hit area outside metro Detroit is Genesee County — which includes the city of Flint — with 1,581 cases and 188 deaths. (See more county numbers on the map below).
Statewide, the oldest person to die of COVID-19 was 107 years old, while the youngest was 5 years old. The average age of those who died is now 74.8 years old, while the median age is 76 years old. Over 80% of those who have died were 60 or older.
In positive news, the state is reporting 8,342 people have recovered from COVID-19 as of April 24. The recovery numbers are reported weekly by MDHHS and are defined as those alive 30 days post-onset. (This statistic is updated only once a week, on Saturdays).
Another statistic to note today, from outside the health department: State officials say another 81,312 Michigan workers have filed for unemployment bringing the total number of claims since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state to 1.26 million people. While the 81k figure may seem like a lot, it's the lowest in six weeks.
Although health officials say we're on the right track, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has stressed that Michigan remains in a state of emergency.
The Republican-led state House on Thursday, however, refused to extend the state's coronavirus emergency declaration.
It also voted instead to authorize a lawsuit challenging Whitmer's authority and actions to combat the pandemic. Whitmer wanted lawmakers to extend her emergency declaration by 28 days, which expires late tonight. But at the same time, she has said the state of emergency will continue regardless because of another law giving her broad powers to act.
In better news, the state is reporting 8,342 people have recovered from COVID-19 as of April 24. The recovery numbers are reported weekly by MDHHS and are defined as those alive 30 days post-onset. (This statistic is updated only once a week, on Saturdays).
Something new this week: The state is releasing information regarding nursing homes and other longterm care facilities hit hard by COVID-19. Dozens of facilities are listed AT THIS LINK. See more updated COVID-19 stats from the state HERE.
The three main symptoms of coronavirus are fever, cough and shortness of breath. In order to mitigate risk of spreading COVID-19, everyone is encouraged to take action to reduce the spread, including: wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer; avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands; cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; avoid handshakes; avoid contact with people who are sick; and stay home when you are sick. Officials are urging social distancing -- staying at least six feet away from other people -- to help flatten the curve.
Michigan's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun says COVID-19 testing, now doubled in the state, is now open to first responders, health care workers and all essential employees — even those who do not have symptoms. Testing is also available to anyone in Michigan who has even just mild symptoms. FIND A TESTING SITE.
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*Note from the state on reported deaths: (04/30/20): Regular reviews of death certificate data maintained in Vital Records reporting systems are conducted by MDHHS staff three times per week. As a part of this process, records that identify COVID-19 infection as a contributing factor to death are compared against all laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS). If a death certificate is matched to a confirmed COVID-19 case and that record in the MDSS does not indicate the individual died, the MDSS record is updated to indicate the death and the appropriate local health department is notified. These matched deaths are then included with mortality information posted to the Michigan Coronavirus website. As a result of the most recent assessment, today's data includes 40 additional deaths identified by this methodology.
