COVID rising in youngest age groups
COVID-19 cases increased the last week fastest among children in the six counties of the Central Michigan District Health Department.
All three age groups including people under 20 saw increases of around 17 percent, while the age groups covering people older than 20 saw increases of less than 10 percent.
The biggest gain was also among the youngest age group, 0-4. That age group increased from 96 cases within the six counties of CMDHD to 113 as of Wednesday, an increase of 17.7 percent. Two people in this age group have been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to health department records.
The second largest increase was in people 10-19, which saw its number of cases increase by 17.4 percent, from 1,065 cases to 1,251. It was also the only age group that saw a double-digit increase from March 31 to April 7, when it saw a 12.9 percent week-to-week increase.
Three people in this age group have been hospitalized across the six CMDHD counties.
The 5-9 age group saw a 16.5 percent week-to-week increase in cases, from 139 on April 7 to 162 on Wednesday. One person in this age group has been hospitalized.
Of the rest, the 20-49 age group, which consists of the largest number of overall cases, increased by 9.2 percent, from 4,902 to 5,351. Fifty-four of these cases required hospitalization.
Cases among people ages 5074 saw a week-to-week increase of 6.7 percent, from 3,393 to 3,620. Of those cases, 199 have required hospitalization.
The 75+ demographic saw the smallest week-to-week percent increase in cases at 3 percent, going from 1,015 to 1,045. Nearly half of hospitalizations within the six CMDHD counties — Isabella, Clare, Roscommon, Gladwin, Osceola and Arenac — have been from this age group. The 240 hospitalizations have been 48 percent of all hospitalizations in the six CMDHD counties.
On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported an additional 26 cases in Isabella County,
bringing its cumulative total to 4,551, with 79 deaths.
Central Michigan University reported an additional six cases within the campus community for Wednesday, the smallest single-day number since the end of March. The university’s seven-day average also dropped to 12.43. It will drop significantly Friday, when last Friday’s single-day record of 33 new cases drops out of the sevenday average.
An additional 22 cases were reported in Clare County, bringing its cumulative total to 1,729, with 69 deaths. An additional six cases were reported in Gratiot County for a cumulative total of 2,775, with 103 deaths.
Elsewhere in mid-michigan, no new deaths were reported, with new and cumulative cases and deaths as follows from over the weekend:
• In Gladwin County, an additional 20 new confirmed cases were reported for a cumulative total of 1,646, with 40 deaths;
• In Mecosta County, an additional 34 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 2,533, with 25 deaths;
• In Midland County, an additional 57 new cases for a cumulative total of 5,750, with 72 deaths; and,
• In Montcalm County, an additional 45 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 4,346, with 91 deaths.
Statewide, 112 new deaths were reported for a total of 16,731 and another 6,303 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 770,822. Of those deaths, 81 were identified during a review of death certificates.