(WWJ) A grim outbreak outlook from officials in Macomb County, who are anticipating things will get worse before they get better.
In fact, not long after Hackel reported his numbers the state released its official count, noting a total of 38 deaths in Macomb County.
Standing alongside Hackel at the briefing, shared by the county via video, Deputy Executive John Paul Rea said doctors at the county heath department are telling him the county has not seen the worst of this pandemic.
"These numbers are gonna grow exponentially over the next couple of weeks," Rea said. "It's going to be alarming every single time that we see them, but I think the most important thing is we're going to get the information out there."
Macomb County residents are urged to check the community dashboard on the county website for the latest updates. Information available there to the public now includes a "heat map" (seen here at left) depicting hotspots for the virus.
See the updated map HERE.
What's the purpose of the map?
"From my law enforcement perspective," said Hackel, the former longtime county sheriff, "that's for first responders, so that they know that they're in areas where we're already seeing the community spread, and it's only getting worse in certain areas."
"It's not to alarm people." he added. "It's to warn them and give them information."
While officials had estimated the pandemic would peak here on April 8, the new estimate, Hackel said, is April 11.
With that in mind, Hackel said he does expect Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to order schools statewide be closed for the remainder for the school year, saying he believes that is the right decision. Rea added that officials will make sure parents in the county continue to have access to both educational materials and meals for their kids.
In the meantime, Hackel said he's asking all residents to be safe, stay home as much as possible, and practice social distancing.
Speaking live on WWJ over the weekend, Hackel said he expects the county's hospital to become even more flooded with patients. That's why he is working with state officials, the National Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify potential sites where they could build or retrofit an existing location to be a field hospital. Officials have said Michigan could need an additional 10,000 hospital beds statewide, while he has been told Macomb County could need about 2,000 extra beds. [LEARN MORE HERE]
