Cases spike to 5,177, 48 new deaths

Vaccination rate of people 16 and older rises to 33.1%

New Michigan coronavirus cases and deaths spiked higher Tuesday as efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible continue.

The 5,177 new confirmed cases and 48 deaths brings the state’s total to 665,948 cases and 16,082 deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

The 48 deaths include 20 found from a state review of vital records.

In general, cases have been trending higher, but particularly in the southeast Michigan counties of Oakland, Macomb and Wayne, plus Detroit, which accounted for 49.66% of the new cases and more than a third of the deaths.

There were 846 cases and three deaths in Macomb County, 703 cases and five deaths in Wayne County, 665 cases and five deaths in Oakland County, and 357 cases and four deaths in Detroit.

Elsewhere in the state, there were 172 cases and one death in Ingham County, 171 cases and four deaths in Kent County, 171 cases and five deaths in Genesee County, 168 cases and four deaths in St. Clair County, and 159 cases and one death in Ottawa County.

In mid-Michigan, there were five cases in Clare County, 12 cases in Gratiot County, and 22 cases in Isabella County.

Five of Michigan’s 83 counties reported no new cases or deaths.

Meanwhile, the vaccination rate of people age 16 and older rose to 33.1%, or 2,680,794 people, who have received one or both shots, an increase of 53,140 over the previous day.

In all, health providers around the state have administered 4,207,102 doses of the two-shot vaccine.

Vaccination rates so far are 35.98% in Oakland County, 35.46% in Wayne County, 29.26% in Macomb County, and 18.72% in Detroit.