Here’s what you need to know on April 18, 2021

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DETROIT – The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan rose to 785,307 on Saturday, including 16,840 deaths, state officials report.

Saturday’s update includes a total of 5,530 new cases and 69 additional deaths – 60 of those deaths were identified based on a Vital Records review.

Friday’s update included a total of 8,955 new cases and 40 additional deaths. It was the second-highest one-day total in Michigan since the start of the pandemic. As of November 20, 2020, the state reported a total of 9,779 cases, the highest number to date.

On Saturday, the state reported a total of 603,094 recoveries from COVID-19.

New: Michigan Governor Appears on Meet the Press on April 18 with Dr. Anthony Fauci as the state’s COVID cases continue to soar

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Last: Worldwide, the death toll at COVID-19 is a whopping 3 million

The testing averages about 35,000 diagnostic tests reported on average per day, with the 7 days positive rate above 14% from Friday, lower than a week ago. Hospital admissions have increased in recent weeks, now at the peak of the pandemic.

Michigan continues to lead the nation in new COVID-19 cases. The state’s 7-day moving average for day-to-day business on Friday was 6,949 – the highest since November. The death average over seven days was 47 on Friday, slightly higher than the past two weeks. The state’s death rate is 2.2%. The state is also reporting “active cases,” which were listed at 175,000 on Friday.

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Michigan has more than reported 5.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered from Thursday, with 44% inhabitants have received at least one dose.

According to Johns Hopkins University more than 31.5 million cases have been reported in the US., with more than 566,000 dead reported by the virus.

Worldwide more than 140 million people are infected and more than 3 million have diedMore than 79 million have been recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are certainly much higher, due to limited testing, different ways nations count the dead, and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.

Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info about stages

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Coronavirus Headlines:

VISION: Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Tracking

VISION: Tracking cases of coronavirus outbreaks in Michigan schools

Michigan has it COVID-19 order that has implemented restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, entertainment venues and more.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extended the epidemic to May 24. It also expanded the mask requirements to children 2-4 years old.

“Michigan continues to implement smart health policies and mitigation measures to combat the spread of COVID-19,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “This includes the requirement to wear a mask in public and at gatherings, restrictions for indoor social gatherings larger than 15 people with no more than three households, and extensive testing requirements for youth sports.”

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Read the latest news about the restrictions here.

The director of the CDC said the answer to the alarming rise in Michigan’s COVID-19 cases is not to “vaccinate our way out,” but to “shut things down,” as the state did last spring and summer.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, spoke about the COVID-19 situation in Michigan on Monday.

On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Michigan a “COVID hotspot” and called on the federal government to step up additional vaccines here in response to the rising number of cases

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Read more here.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health service is asking residents to follow certain voluntary COVID-19 restrictions, such as avoiding eating indoors, interrupting exercise, and returning to distance learning.

On Friday, Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, spoke of the alarming COVID-19 trends in Michigan.

“I’m quite concerned about what we’re seeing in our data,” said Khaldun. “We are on track to potentially see an increase in cases even greater than those we saw in the fall.”

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The City of Detroit is launching eight COVID-19 vaccination sites nearby, contributing to an expansion at the TCF Center, to combat the city’s rising cases and hospitalizations.

Detroit’s vaccination rate, 21% on Monday, is well below the contiguous areas and the overall state average, which is 35%. The city is expanding the possibilities for residents with an urgent message: get vaccinated.

Next week, the city will offer eight additional locations during the week, in addition to community Saturdays and other outreach programs, to give Detroiters the chance to get vaccinated in a convenient and trusted location close to home.

Read here.

All Michigan residents ages 16 and older were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5, nearly a month before the May 1 date pledged by President Joe Biden.

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People aged 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities are eligible from March 22, when 50 to 64 year olds can take photos under a previous announcement. Two days later, on March 24, a federally selected regional mass vaccination site will be opened at Ford Field in Detroit to administer an additional 6,000 doses per day for two months.

Read more here.

MORE: Michigan’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Schedule: Who Is Eligible and When

The COVID-19 variant detected in Brazil has been identified in Bay County. This variant is known as the P1 strain and is more contagious and more than 50% re-infected.

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The person infected in Bay County and the people they have been in contact with must be quarantined for 14 days. It’s unclear what effect it will have on those, including seniors, who have already been vaccinated, as there isn’t enough research to know exactly.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement Tuesday after White House officials announced that COVID-19 vaccine doses will be available for Michigan starting next week.

According to a press release, next week’s shipments will increase by 66,020, bringing the total number of doses to 620,040 – a weekly record for the state. Officials said the allotment includes 147,800 single-dose doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

This comes after Whitmer recently called for more vaccines, as the state sees a rise in COVID numbers.

The CDC said Michigan is leading the country in new cases of COVID-19 per population.

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On Tuesday, officials reported 5,177 new COVID cases and 48 additional deaths, including 20 from a Vital Records review. On Monday, the state reported a total of 660,771 cases and 16,034 deaths.

Dr. Local 4’s Frank McGeorge said he has seen a very marked increase in the number of COVID patients in the hospital where he works.

“Many of them have to be hospitalized. I would honestly say this feels worse to me here in Southeast Michigan than it did during the wave that started in November. Now the most concerning trend is the number of middle-aged people with severe COVID, ”said McGeorge.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has announced that the first case of COVID-19 variant B.1.351 has been diagnosed in a child in Jackson County.

The health department has not said how the boy was infected, but a case study is being conducted to see if any more cases are linked.

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This new variant was originally discovered in South Africa in October 2020 and shares some mutations with the B117 variant. The first case of the B117 variant – originally discovered in the United Kingdom – was identified in Washtenaw County.

Michigan COVID-19 Cases Reported Daily Since March 15:

  • March 15 – 1,572 new cases

  • March 16 – 2,048 new cases

  • March 17 – 3,164 new cases

  • March 18 – 2,629 new cases

  • March 19 – 3,730 new cases

  • March 20 – 2,660 new cases

  • March 21 – 2,400 new cases

  • March 22 – 2,401 new cases

  • March 23 – 3,579 new cases

  • March 24 – 4,454 new cases

  • March 25 – 5,224 new cases

  • March 26 – 5,030 new cases

  • March 27 – 4,670 new cases

  • March 28 – 4,101 new cases

  • March 29 – 4,101 new cases

  • March 30 – 5,177 new cases

  • March 31 – 6,311 new cases

  • April 1 – 6,036 new cases

  • April 2 – 5,498 new cases

  • April 3 – 8,413 new cases

  • April 4 – 5,146 new cases

  • April 5 – 5,147 new cases

  • April 6 – 4,964 new cases

  • April 7 – 8,015 new cases

  • April 8 – 7,819 new cases

  • April 9 – 7,834 new cases

  • April 10 – 6,892 new cases

  • April 11 – 4,837 new cases

  • April 12 – 4,837 new cases

  • April 13 – 8,867 new cases

  • April 14 – 7,955 new cases

  • April 15 – 6,303 new cases

  • April 16 – 8,955 new cases

  • April 17 – 5,530 new cases

Michigan COVID-19 reported deaths daily since March 15:

  • March 15 – 5 new deaths

  • March 16 – 27 new deaths (6 from vital records)

  • March 17 – 0 new deaths

  • March 18 – 25 new deaths (24 from vital signs)

  • March 19 – 15 new deaths

  • March 20 – 47 new deaths – (39 from vital signs)

  • March 21 – 3 new deaths

  • March 22 – 3 new deaths

  • March 23 – 16 new deaths (8 from vital records)

  • March 24 – 16 new deaths

  • March 25 – 49 new deaths (30 from vital records)

  • March 26 – 20 new deaths

  • March 27 – 22 new deaths

  • March 28 – 4 new deaths

  • March 29 – 4 new deaths

  • March 30 – 48 new deaths (20 from vital records)

  • March 31 – 10 new deaths

  • April 1 – 49 new deaths (33 from vital records)

  • April 2 – 20 new deaths

  • April 3 – 57 new deaths (51 from vital signs)

  • April 4 – 11 new deaths

  • April 5 – 10 new deaths

  • April 6 – 58 new deaths (16 from vital records)

  • April 7 – 30 new deaths

  • April 8 – 73 new deaths (43 from vital signs)

  • April 9 – 26 new deaths

  • April 10 – 74 new deaths (57 from vital signs)

  • April 11 – 6 new deaths

  • April 12 – 6 new deaths

  • April 13 – 74 new deaths (37 from vital records)

  • April 14 – 35 new deaths

  • April 15 – 112 new deaths (81 from vital signs)

  • April 16 – 40 new deaths

  • April 17 – 69 new deaths (60 from vital records)

Coronavirus Sources:

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