(WWJ) The number of Michigan residents considered recovered from COVID-19 has nearly doubled since last Saturday.
15,659 Michiganders are now officially declared survivors of the coronavirus. This includes everyone who was diagnosed on or before April 1.
April 2 was the state’s peak of confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,953 people diagnosed in a single day.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 851 cases and 154 deaths since Friday, although some of those deaths may have happened weeks ago.
More than two thirds of the total cases are in Wayne (including Detroit), Oakland and Macomb County.
However, Michigan Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, said during a press conference on Friday the rate of case growth in the tri-county area is "slowing."
Region 2N is Oakland, Macomb, and St. Clair County. The following graph shows of the rate of cases per 1,000,000 residents.
Region 2S is Wayne (and Detroit), Monroe, and Washtenaw County.
But health officials are watching the possibility of an outbreak in the Grand Rapids area.
“While the rate of rise is slowing in South East Michigan, we are seeing an increase in rate of rise in other parts of the state, particularly the western part,” Khaldun said. “Compared to last week, we had a 48% rise in cases in Kent County.”
Region 6 is the Grand Rapids area (Kent, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties)
Khaldun said ramping up testing in these areas may partly account for the spike in cases in the western part of the state.
Michigan’s total stands at 43,207 confirmed cases and 4,020 deaths. The fatality rate is 9% among confirmed cases.
Throughout the earlier days of the pandemic; only people who were at-risk, hospitalized or suffering severe symptoms had access to testing. Health officials say this could skew the overall fatality rate higher.
Data posted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says the average age of Michiganders who have passed away from the virus is 74.8 years old. The median age of death is 76. The age range was 5 to 107.
87 percent of those who died from coronavirus in Michigan were over the age of 60, and over 40% were over the age of 80.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has not disclosed the pre-existing conditions of the deceased.
However; data gathered in New York, the epicenter of the outbreak in America, reported 89.2% of nearly 19,000 New Yorkers who died from the virus had at least one “co-morbidity.”
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, said during a recent press conference “95 or 96%” of hospitalized and "severe" U.S. cases reported to the Task Force fit into the CDC definition of "vulnerable."
The CDC defines at-risk individuals as people over 60, and those with pre-existing conditions including cancer, stroke, asthma, hypertension, immunocompromised, lung disease, diabetes, heart disease and obesity (Body Mass Index above 40). You can see a complete list here.
Health experts say they continue to learn more about the virus each day. They urge you to stay safe by wearing a cloth mask or face covering in public; washing your hands often for at least 20 seconds; and abiding by social distancing. Governor Whitmer's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order is in effect through at least May 15.
“To be clear, we (Michigan) are still in the early months of battling of this outbreak," Khaldun said. "The threat of having an additional surge if we do not move forward carefully is still a concern."
Still, Khaldun says she is “cautiously optimistic” that Michigan is ready to take the next step.