Michigan reports 9 coronavirus deaths, 446 new cases

Michigan confirmed nine new coronavirus deaths Thursday and 446 new cases, as state officials implored residents to keep wearing masks and social distancing to stem the community spread of infection.

Michigan has seen an increase in new cases of the disease COVID-19 in the last three weeks but so far has avoided the surges seen in states such as Florida, Arizona and Texas. 

Reported deaths and hospitalizations due to the disease remain relatively low, but that could change in the coming weeks, health leaders warned Thursday. 

A coalition of Michigan hospital and business executives issued a statement cautioning the public about the early signs of an upturn and said “declining vigilance by many” is pushing the state to a “tipping point” in the fight against COVID-19.

"We cannot become complacent. We’ve come too far to yield hard-fought gains now,” Henry Ford Health System president and CEO Wright Lassiter III said in a statement. 

Michigan had a six-week high for newly confirmed infections last week, surpassing 2,500 cases during the week ending July 4. 

The average number of new cases for the past seven days ending Thursday is up to 430 a day from an average of 338 a day for the previous seven-day period, according to state data. 

In addition to the 446 cases confirmed Thursday, the state reported 66 probable cases.

Michigan is performing more COVID tests than ever, with an average 18,000 tests a day over the last week. But that alone does not explain the level of increase in new infections, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive.

The coronavirus positivity rate in Michigan — the percentage of those testing positive for the virus out of those tested overall — has gradually increased from 2% to 3% in recent weeks. 

"What this implies is that we are also seeing increases in cases because there's true spread of the disease. So right now, the data is not looking so good," Khaldun said at a Thursday press briefing.

"While we are certainly not in the extreme situation we were in this past spring, we really do need to get back on track and in the right direction again."

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has tracked 67,683 cases of COVID-19 and 6,024 deaths through Thursday. When probable cases are added, Michigan's case total reaches 75,063, and the death toll is 6,271. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stressed in Thursday remarks that state policy requires people to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces, adding that her office is reviewing whether to take steps to strengthen compliance.  

“If we let our guard down," Whitmer said, "we could see a rapid increase in cases and deaths in Michigan.”

Khaldun said Grand Rapids is seeing the highest rate of new cases in the state at 45 cases per million people per day. 

The Detroit, Lansing and Kalamazoo regions each have more than 20 cases per million people a day, while the Traverse City, Jackson and Upper Peninsula regions are falling below 20 cases per million people per day, she said. 

"But they have also all seen a steady increase in cases for the past two to three weeks," Khaldun said.

The Upper Peninsula, which previously had consistently low levels of cases, is now reporting the highest rate of cases since the virus reached Michigan four months ago, she said.

Khaldun also noted the impact of clusters of outbreaks across the state tied to food processing plants, bars, a casino, religious gatherings and congregate care facilities.

While new deaths remain low for now, deaths tend to lag behind an increase in infections, so Michigan is likely to see death and hospitalization numbers increase in the coming weeks, Khaldun said. 

"To be clear, what we have seen in other states is that hospitalizations and deaths tend to increase several weeks after the cases are identified. So we still have to watch this data very closely," she said. 

Hospitals overall are not reporting a big increase in COVID-19 patients in Michigan right now. There were 349 inpatients with COVID-19, including 174 in critical care and 93 on ventilators as of Wednesday.

That’s an 11% increase compared with 315 COVID inpatients a week ago, including 180 in critical care and 92 on ventilators, as reported by hospitals, but significantly lower than mid-April, when Michigan had 3,900 in the hospital with COVID-19.

Khaldun encouraged those anyone working outside the home and interacting with people outside of their household to get tested. 

She noted that so-called contact tracers are working to cut off disease spread by reaching out to those who have had contact with a COVID-positive individual within 24 hours of their testing positive to urge them to quarantine and get tested. 

She said the tracers been successful about 80% of the time in making an initial contact attempt to contact someone, though they successfully reach someone (that is, they actually pick up the phone) only 60% of the time. 

"Our greatest challenge right now with our contact tracing is that our public health staff often do not have the correct telephone number or the people who we are calling are simply not answering the phone," Khaldun said.

"I can't express enough how important it is for you to give health care providers accurate information at a time you're getting a test. And if someone from your state or local health department calls you, please answer the phone." 

mburke@detroitnews.com

Staff writer Craig Mauger contributed.