Michigan adds 19,535 cases, 50 deaths from COVID-19 over last week

Michigan added 19,535 cases and 50 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, including totals from the previous six days.

The state reported an average of about 2,790 cases per day over the last seven days, a decrease from 3,710 cases per day a week prior.

Hospitalization and new case rates in Michigan declined for the second week after rising for the previous six weeks.

On May 25, the state said it had added 25,968 cases and 139 deaths from the virus in the previous week.

Between May 20-26, about 15% of Michigan’s COVID-19 tests returned positive. 

The dip in cases was expected but doesn’t indicate a long-term downward trend, said Dr. Preeti Malani, professor of infectious diseases and chief health officer at the University of Michigan health system.

“As cases go up, hospitalizations go up and there’s always a little bit of a stagger,” Malani said. “Cases are a bit lower nationally but it’s because more people are getting COVID more than once and we’re seeing more mild disease. The antivirals are also helping.”

With few mitigation measures and no mandates in place, “This is what the world might look like for the foreseeable future,” Malani said.

The third booster shot has been shown to prevent severe disease and seniors or immunocompromised people are recommended to get a fourth booster.

“Have a plan for what you’re going to do if you get it,” Malani said. “The test and treat program isn’t where it needs to be. Treatment works best if given early, but it doesn’t mean the treatment will be easily accessible for long.”

All Metro Detroit health departments are following CDC’s guidelines to recommend indoor masking for public settings and K-12 schools as the rate of infection has grown from “medium” to “high.”

Wednesday’s additions bring the state’s overall total to 2,54,366 cases and 36,407 deaths since the virus was first detected here in March 2020.

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On Monday, the state reported that 885 adults and 37 pediatric patients were hospitalized with confirmed infections, a decrease from 934 adults and 35 children last week.

Inpatient records were set on Jan. 10, when 4,580 adults were hospitalized with COVID-19. 

About 5.7% of the state’s hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients and there were an average of 1,360 emergency room visits related to COVID-19 per day in the state as of Monday. That compares to 24% of hospital beds being full and 2,889 daily emergency room visits due to the virus in the first week of January.

However, 14 Michigan counties remain at a “high” level for the increased burden on health care or severe disease: Alger, Calhoun, Kalkaska, Livingston, Mackinac, Macomb, Manistee, Marquette, Monroe, Oakland, Schoolcraft, Washtenaw and Wayne. Another 30 counties have a “medium” transmission level, according to the state health department.

► For subscribers: Map shows where Michigan is seeing the highest COVID spread

Case counts are well below early January when the state set a new high mark with more than 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day.

In Michigan, variants of the virus have moved at a high rate, proving more contagious than past variants and infecting both unvaccinated and vaccinated residents.

A new iteration of the omicron variant, BA.2, is now the dominant across Michigan and the country, but experts say another surge of cases is unlikely.

The Food and Drug Administration expanded its approval of remdesivir on April 25, making it the first COVID-19 treatment for children under age 12.

In Michigan, 298 cases of a rare inflammatory condition in children linked with the coronavirus have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 65% of kids with the syndrome are admitted to intensive care units and there have been five deaths.

In Michigan, residents ages 30 to 39 currently have the highest case rate of any age group.

As of Monday, 73 new outbreaks were reported over the prior week. The majority, 44 outbreaks, were in long-term care facilities and senior assisted living centers. Another 16 outbreaks were in K-12 schools and seven were in daycare programs. The state is tracking 418 ongoing outbreak cases.

About 66%, or 6.6 million, state residents have received their first doses of a vaccine, and 60% are fully vaccinated. More than 231,000 children ages 5 to 11 in Michigan, or 28%, have received their first dose of the vaccine.

More than 3.1 million, or 36.7% of the eligible population, have received a vaccine booster in Michigan and 5.2 million are fully vaccinated.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_