State adds over 4,300 new cases on Tuesday

Numbers plateau among concerns of a post-holiday surge

With coronavirus cases possibly hitting a plateau and uncertainty over whether there’ll be a postholiday surge, Michigan announced Wednesday that it was entering a new phase of the state’s vaccination program.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 11, vaccines will be open to everyone age 65 and older as well as frontline workers including police officers, first responders, jail and prison staff, school teachers, and child care providers.

To date, 80% of the state’s deaths have been people age 65 and older, and 60% of the deaths have been people older than 75.

“Every shot in the arm is a step closer to ending this pandemic,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in an update livestreamed over social media.

Whitmer said the state’s goal is to administer 90% of the vaccines within seven days of receiving them but cautioned there may not be enough vaccines yet to go around to everyone who wants them.

Residents over age 65 can find local health departments and other local vaccine clinics near them that are ready to book appointments online at Michigan. gov/COVIDVaccine. The state stressed appointments need to be made to receive the vaccine.

As of Tuesday, the state had distributed 520,150 vaccines to some 800 providers and administered 140,245 vaccines including 20,048 in Oakland County, 9,662 in Macomb County, 13,667 in Wayne County, and 1,675 in Detroit.

The eventual goal is to vaccinate 70 percent of the state’s population age 16 and older.

Michigan is using a phased approach to administering the vaccine based on its availability.

As of Wednesday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Michigan since the pandemic began was 508,736 with 12,918 deaths.

The daily total reported Wednesday was 4,326 new confirmed cases and 51 deaths.

The most populated counties tend to report higher daily numbers but there are other hot pockets around the state.

There were 505 new cases in Oakland County Wednesday with no deaths, 598 cases and four deaths in Wayne County, 405 cases and two deaths in Macomb County, and 137 cases and two deaths in Detroit.

Elsewhere in the state, there were 348 cases and one death in Kent County, and 135 cases and eight deaths in Genesee County.

In rural mid Michigan, Isabella County had 24 cases and four deaths, Clare County had nine cases and one death, and Gratiot County had eight cases and no deaths.