(WWJ) Even as the governor says the curve is flattening, the COVID-19 case count continues to climb in Michigan.
There are 1,350 new confirmed cases being reported in the state, bringing the total to 36,641. That includes 108 additional deaths recorded, for a total of 3,085 deaths, according to an update by the Michigan Department of Human Services on Friday.
As of today, the health department says the overall fatality rate among confirmed cases is 8%.
The hardest-hit area of the state continues to be the City of Detroit, with 8,473 cases and 830 deaths.
At a news conference, Duggan said that while the numbers are difficult to hear, the deaths didn't all occur in the last 24 hours. He said there's a backlog. "Eighty-seven people didn't die yesterday," the mayor explained. "There are dozens of cases that are weeks old. Some of them back to March." Duggan said the city averages around 36 deaths per day from the virus, although the numbers may not reflect that due to delays in reporting.
Looking at the Detroit suburbs: The remainder of Wayne County has 6,934 cases and 613 deaths. Oakland County has 6,804 cases and 585 deaths, and Macomb County has 5,022 cases and 504 deaths.
In Mid-Michigan, Genesee County — which includes the city of Flint — is also racking up some higher numbers, with 1434 cases and 151 deaths as of Tuesday.
Every county in the Lower Peninsula now has at least one document case. (See map below for cases by county).
Looking at cases by age, the youngest person to die was 5 years old, and the oldest was 107. The average age of those who died is up now to 74.2 years old, and the median age is 76 years old.
A bright spot in the statistics: The state is reporting 3,237 people have recovered from COVID-19 as of April 17. 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).
See more stats, including deaths by age, deaths by sex, and percentage of cases by county at THIS LINK.
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 said COVID-19 testing 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. Health officials say, if you have the symptoms described above, there's a 40% chance you have COVID-19. FIND A TESTING SITE.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced an extention of, and some changes to, her stay-home order, Khaldun stressed the importance of continued social distancing.
"The numbers we've seen in the past week have shown a plateau in positive cases, but Michiganders must continue doing their part to fight this virus and protect their families," Khaldun said. "The governor has taken a number of critical steps to protect Michigan families, and this order today will allow that work to continue. We will keep monitoring the data closely and work with our partners across state government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19."
At work in Lansing earlier Friday, Sen. Adam Hollier (D-Detroit) wore a mask with the number of COVID-19 deaths in Michigan; prior to today's update. "The number of people getting diagnosed is going down," he said, "but the total number is still going up. Every day we see more deaths." (Read more).
