Rising numbers fuel concerns for December

Michigan tallied another 5,743 confirmed coronavirus cases and 190 deaths Tuesday, including 30 fatalities that were added after a review of state vital statistics, and fueling concerns that corralling the spread of the virus may prove difficult in December.

In all, Michigan now has 366,242 confirmed cases of the virus since counting began in early March and 9,304 deaths. When probable, but not confirmed, cases are added in, the state’s total cases jumps to 395,453 and deaths to 9,759.

More than half the deaths have happened in the state’s most populated counties – Oakland, Wayne and Macomb – along with the city of Detroit since the pandemic swept through the state.

However, in southeast Michigan Tuesday the latest coronavirus daily counts were relatively benign.

With probable cases and deaths added to confirmed cases and deaths, there were 33 new cases and one new death in Oakland County, 15 new cases and one death in Macomb County, 16 new cases and one death in Wayne County, excluding Detroit, and 20 cases and no deaths in Detroit.

Deaths from the virus are off their peak in April but rising after a relatively mild summer. But cases of the virus have skyrocketed past the levels of March and April to hit new highs in November after falling during the summer months.

Testing for the virus has gradually increased into the fall. So far, more than 7.1 million tests for the virus have been given.

But the rate of positive tests has also climbed in November, hitting a positive rate of 14.72%, more than four times higher than the rate of positive tests recorded at the end of September and resulting in more restrictions on activities in some parts of the state.