(WWJ) Michigan is reporting its lowest daily death toll since four days before Governor Whitmer's initial Stay-at-Home Order took effect in March, as the hospitalization rate drops to just under 6%.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said five more residents have died from the virus since Saturday.
The last time less than five daily deaths were reported was March 20.
314 more residents have tested positive for the virus, according to MDHHS.
That brings Michigan’s total to 54,679 confirmed cases and 5,228 deaths.
Health officials and multiple local leaders say the case numbers may be lower on the weekends because of a lack of staff present to do the reporting.
The average age of death is 75.3 years old. The median age is 77; meaning half of those who died were younger, the others older. The age range of the deceased is 5 to 107 years old.
Over 85% those who passed away from the virus in Michigan were older than 60. You can see a complete age breakdown here.
33,168 people are considered recovered from the virus after living 30 days post diagnosis.
Data from MDHHS says 953 people are currently hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.
That is 5.8% of the state’s 16,283 active cases.*
About one third of the hospitalized patients across the state are on ventilators.
The MDHHS numbers show the vast majority—about two thirds-- of hospitalized patients are in Southeastern Michigan.
Region 2 North is Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair County.
Region 2 South is Wayne (including Detroit), Washtenaw and Monroe County.
The current hospitalization numbers are a fraction of what they were just a month ago.
As of late April; nearly 2,760 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, according to MDHHS. More than 870 were on ventilators.
The MDHHS chart below shows the COVID-19 Metrics on April 24.
While other areas have seen a decrease in hospitalizations since April; the Grand Rapids area (Region 6) has seen the number of inpatients with the virus nearly double since a month ago from 86 to 143.**
The hospitalization rate has nearly been slashed in half over the past month.***
Approximately 10% of active cases were hospitalized at the end of April.
Health experts say expanding testing to asymptomatic adults in Oakland County and Detroit; people over 60; and essential workers allows for the less severe cases to be counted. In the early days of the pandemic; a person had to have severe symptoms, be at-risk, or hospitalized to easily access a test.
The MDHHS data shows total hospital capacity across Michigan is currently at just under 70%, including all patients regardless of COVID-19 status.
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MDHHS data tells how many COVID-19 inpatients currently are in each hospital system.
Beaumont: 255 total coronavirus patients, 75 in the ICU, and a bed occupancy of 75% including all patients regardless of COVID status.
Henry Ford Health System: 176 coronavirus patients, 67 in ICU, and a bed occupancy of 67% including all patients.
Detroit Medical Center: 113 coronavirus patients, 48 in ICU, and a bed occupancy of 89% including all patients.
Ascension: 144 coronavirus patients, 43 in ICU, and a bed occupancy of 67% including all patients.
You can see the numbers for all of Michigan's hospital systems here.
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Additional resources:
To find a testing site near you, click here.
To read the CDC guidelines on protecting yourself and others, click here.
To learn more about symptoms and who the CDC categorizes as most at-risk for complications, click here.
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*Active cases=Total number - (Total Recovery Number + Total Confirmed Deaths)
**Region 6 is Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties.
***Hospitalization rate: % of active cases currently in hospital