(WWJ) As public health officials warn the coronavirus is surging in Michigan, the numbers continue to show it.
On Monday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 11,511 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 65 additional deaths. Today’s daily case count represents new referrals of confirmed cases to the state since Saturday. Over the two days, Sunday and Monday, the average number of new confirmed cases is around 5,755 per day.
This brings Michigan's statewide total number of cases to more than 314,000, as the death count tops 8,500.
Another concerning stat: Michigan's positivity rate is hovering above 13%, up from under 3% over the summer. This means while more people are being tested, more of them are also testing positive for the virus, health officials say.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to affect students and teachers across Michigan.
MDHHS on Monday reported 53 new outbreaks in schools statewide.
In metro Detroit, Macomb County leads in number of school outbreaks, with eight schools reporting cases. Jefferson Middle School has the most new cases, with seven among both staff and students. Among schools reporting more than two new cases of the virus were Warren Woods Tower and Fitzgerald High Schools.
Washtenaw County is reporting a total of eight new cases between two different schools, while Oakland County and Detroit report just one school each with an outbreak -- Thornton Creek Elementary in Novi, and Detroit Enterprise Academy in Detroit.
The latest outbreak report shows Michigan State University has had the most cases of any colleges and universities with 2,039. Grand Valley State University also showed a small increase to 1,022 cases..
What counts as a school "outbreak"? In accordance with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ outbreak definition, educational institutions that have been found by their local health department to have two or more COVID-19 cases who may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households are included. Case counts for school-related outbreaks also include those associated with before and after school programs, including school-sponsored sports.
If your institution is listed, your local health department and school will contact you directly if you or your child were possibly exposed.
Meanwhile, all high school and colleges in the state are restricted to virtual learning under a health department order, through Dec. 8. See more school data here.
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This comes as health officials warn that hospitals in metro Detroit and statewide are filling up.
MDHHS said more than half a dozen hospitals in the Wayne/Macomb/Oakland County area were at 90% capacity or above as of Friday. At least three hospitals—two on the west side of the state, and one on the east side — were at 100% capacity, according to MDHHS. See detailed hospital data here.
On a positive note, more than 150,000 people who were infected in Michigan during the pandemic are considered officially recovered.
To keep cases from surging even higher, MDHHS and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging everyone to stay home this Thanksgiving.
For more Michigan COVID-19 information, including how to get tested, visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/.
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