Mt. Pleasant has third-fastest COVID spread in U.S.

Cases weighted for population doubles in a week

Nine of the top 10 places for rapidly growing cases of COVID-19 are in the state of Michigan, according to the New York Times’ COVID-19 dashboard.

The metro area that is third in the nation for rapidly increasing cases: Mt. Pleasant.

The city’s growth in cases, weighted for population, has more than doubled in less than a week, from 129 per 100,000 people a week ago to 265.

The top two are also Michigan cities: Monroe and Owosso.

As a county, Isabella County is currently ranked 77th in the nation for spread, according to a county-level dashboard hosted by the Brown University School of Public Health.

The county, based on Saturday’s data, has a rolling sevenday average of 54.2 confirmed and probable cases per 100,000 people.

New cases continue to be associated with Central Michigan University, which saw its sevenday average in new total cases increase to 11.4 over the weekend. The university, which doesn’t report new cases on Saturday, reported 19 new cases on Sunday.

An additional 123 cases and one death were reported in Isabella County over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total of confirmed cases to 4,095 and its total number of deaths to 77. COVID-19 has killed more than one person for every 1,000 people living in Isabella County.

Another death was reported in Gratiot County over the weekend, bringing its total number of deaths to 102. COVID-19 has killed approximately 2.4 Gratiot County residents for every 1,000 people living there.

The state reported an additional 35 cases in that county, bringing its cumulative total to 2,630. Gratiot County’s seven-day average for confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 was 43.9 per 100,000 people, based on Saturday’s data.

An additional 41 cases were reported in Clare County on Monday, bringing its cumulative total of confirmed cases to 1,537. Fortyone Clare County residents have died from COVID-19, or 2.1 people for every 1,000 residents.

Clare County’s seven-day average of new confirmed and probable cases 38.8 per 100,000 people.

Elsewhere in mid-michigan, two additional deaths were reported, with new and cumulative

cases and deaths as follows from over the weekend:

• In Gladwin County, 47 new confirmed cases were reported for a cumulative total of 1,430, with 40 deaths.

• In Mecosta County, an additional 80 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 2,267.

• In Midland County, one new death was reported for a total of 67, and an additional 130 new cases for a cumulative total of 5,175.

• In Montcalm County, one additional death was reported for a total of 89, and an additional 95 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 3,826.

Statewide, 75 new deaths were reported for a total of 16,293 and another 24,204 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 762,499. Of those 75 deaths, 51 were discovered during a state review of death certificates.