6,709 new cases in past 2 days
State tops 200K confirmed and probable cases
Michigan added 6,709 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, pushing the total number of confirmed and probable cases above the 200,000-mark.
The update from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services covers two days, Sunday and Monday, as Sunday no longer sees an individual report.
But the number of new cases averaged more than 3,350 new cases each day and continued a streak of days with more than 3,000 new cases.
Michigan has seen six straight days of more than 3,000 new cases of COVIDthe disease caused by the coronavirus.
That is 20,615 cases in just six days, almost as many seen in all of August.
Local trends
Several counties saw much higher numbers of new cases of COVID-19.
Oakland County saw the most new cases for the two days, adding 855 new cases to reach 22,553 confirmed cases. A week before, the new cases numbered 379.
Neighboring Macomb County added 653 cases to reach 19,357 cases. One week before, for the two-day Monday update, the county was up by 319, less than half this week’s update.
“This COVID issue is still going to be something we need to be concerned about throughout the entire state and country, but specifically here in Macomb County,” County Executive Mark Hackel said late last week on YouTube. “People still need to be mindful. The choices and decisions you make are as to what you are going to be doing obviously will have consequences.”
Hackel reinforced the need to follow CDC guidelines and wear face masks and be cautious. In the video, he also emphasized efforts to get federal money to small businesses owners to cover the costs of personal protection equipment or other cases.
“We do care,” Hackel said about the small businesses and how they are using the federal CARE funds received.
Wayne County, excluding Detroit, added 587 cases to reach 23,452, most in the state in terms of confirmed cases.
Detroit was up just by 142 cases, which is almost double what they added the prior Monday, to end the day at 15,314.
Just to the north, Genesee County as up 220 cases to reach 6,453.
In western Michigan, Kent County ended the day at 15,715 after adding 720 new cases. Ottawa County was up 321 to reach 5,824, and Kalamazoo County added 147 and was at 4,459.
In mid-Michigan, Isabella County was at 1,063 with 40 new cases, and Gratiot County was at 563 with 39 new infections found. Clare County, to the north, crossed the 300-mark with 22 new cases, ending the day at 304.
In both August and September, there were just two days each month with more than 1,000 new cases.
And Monday marked 21 straight days with more than 1,000 cases, all above 1,400 since Oct. 15.
This update on Monday also pushed the seven-day average for new cases above 3,000 for the first time — up to 3,283.
Last month, it took until Oct. 8 to top 6,700 cases for the month, and before that, it took until Sept. 10 and Aug. 11.
Michigan now has had 184,889 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The update on Monday came as the global total caseload found numbered 46.8 million and the deaths were at 1.2 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., on the eve of Election Day, cases were at nearly 9.25 million with more than 231,000 deaths tied to a COVID-19 infection.
Michigan also reported 17 new deaths, pushing the deaths from confirmed cases to 7,357.
Counting probable cases, the state now has 204,326 and 7,716 cases.
Into a new month, after the uncertainty around the presidential election, many are wondering what the holiday seasons, starting later in November when Thanksgiving arrives, will mean for the spread of the coronavirus.
Traditionally a time for families and friends to gather together inside and share a meal and either cheer or bemoan the Detroit Lions, health officials worry about a new peak in the days or weeks after the holiday. Of course, many will stay home and choose phone calls, FaceTime, or Zoom gatherings in lieu of what many consider possible super-spreader gatherings.
“Fall and winter holidays will look different this year,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the top medical expert in the MDHHS, in an opinion piece tweeted out by the governor. “But there is no need for despair. We are strong, we are smart, and we care about each other. Make the choice this fall to stop the spread of COVID-19. The life you save may be your own.”