COVID case counts explode to new highs

LANSING » Michigan on Wednesday recorded COVID-19 case counts that shattered a previous high, reporting nearly 13,000 a day — almost a third more than the peak set over a year ago.

The two-day average was 12,929, some 3,100 infections above the nearly 9,800 from a single day in November 2020.

The explosive growth came as the state already grapples with a fourth, monthslong surge in which coronavirus hospitalizations, while lower from recent record peaks, remain high.

The death toll surpassed 29,000 and continues to mount, averaging over 100 per day, like a year ago when vaccines were first being made available.