Coronavirus claims 617 lives in Michigan, showing no signs of slowing down

Apr 5, 2020 at 4:16 pm
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The TCF Center in downtown Detroit is being converted into a 1,000-bed hospital and is expected to begin treating coronavirus patients by April 8. - Courtesy of TCF Center
Courtesy of TCF Center
The TCF Center in downtown Detroit is being converted into a 1,000-bed hospital and is expected to begin treating coronavirus patients by April 8.

The highly-contagious coronavirus shows no signs of slowing down in Michigan, which reported 77 new deaths on Sunday, bringing its total to 617.

The state has averaged 71 deaths a day for the past week.

Only New York and New Jersey have a higher death toll than Michigan, with 3,500 deaths and 847 deaths, respectively.

Michigan now has 15,718 confirmed cases, up nearly 1,500 in the past day, as public and private labs dramatically increase their testing capacity.

Wayne County has the second-highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the nation at 7,500, trailing only New York City, the epicenter of the crisis, which has recorded more than 115,000 cases.

Wayne County reported 250 new cases. With 41 new deaths, Wayne County now has nearly 300 fatalities. Making up 18% of the state’s population, Wayne County has 47.5% of the state's deaths and 47.8% of its confirmed infections.

Detroit reported 38 new deaths in the past day, the highest daily increase yet.

Of the total deaths, 40% are Black, 29% are white, and 26% are unknown.

Coronavirus claims 617 lives in Michigan, showing no signs of slowing down (2)

Only 12 of the state’s 83 counties don’t have a confirmed COVID-19 case.

The increases come as hospitals are running out of ventilators, intensive-care beds, trained medical staff, and personal protective gear like masks, gloves, and gowns. The TCF Center in downtown Detroit is being converted into a 1,000-bed hospital and is expected to begin treating coronavirus patients by April 8.

In Oakland County, there are 3,035 positive cases and 163 deaths. Macomb County now has 2,003 confirmed infections and 83 deaths.

Seven other Michigan counties have more than 100 confirmed cases: Washtenaw (477), Genesee (504), Ingham (172), Kent (165), and Livingston (135), Saginaw (118), and Monroe (108).

Of the total cases, 1% are among patients 0 to 19 years old, 9% are 20 to 29, 13% are 30 to 39, 17% are 40 to 49, 20% are 50 to 59, 18% are 60 to 69, 13% are 70 to 79, and 8% are 80 and older.

Of the total deaths, 1% was 20 to 29, 2% were 30 to 39, 6% were 40 to 49, 12% were 50 to 59, 20% were 60 to 69, 26% were 70 to 79, and 33% were 80 and older.

The death rate is higher for men, who make up 46% of the positive cases but 60% of the fatalities.

Those who have died range in age from 20 to 107. The average age for deaths is 71.2, with a median age of 72.

Globally, there are 1.3 million coronavirus cases in 183 countries, and more than 68,000 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The U.S. has more positive cases than any country in the world, with 325,185 confirmed infections and 9,267 deaths.

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