Michigan reported 78 new deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday — the most in a single day — bringing the state total to 337.
Michigan now ranks third in the number of deaths in the U.S., behind New York and New Jersey.
The deaths in Michigan are doubling every two days. At this time last week, Michigan had 43 deaths.
Top federal government officials on Wednesday estimated that between 1,000 and 4,500 Michigan residents will die from the coronavirus this year, despite the state's stay-at-home orders.
The number of positive coronavirus cases increased to 9,334, up by 1,719 cases, the largest single-day increase.
Michigan’s testing capacity has dramatically increased, with nearly 4,000 people tested in one day, up from 1,000 a week ago. Still, a majority of sick residents are still not getting tested because of a critical shortage.
Of the state’s 83 counties, 67 have positive cases.
By far, Detroit has the highest death rate in the state. With 6.7% of Michigan’s population, Detroit has 24.6% of the state’s deaths. Public health officials say Detroit’s high rates of poverty and chronic illnesses are likely behind the rising death toll. The city also has a lot of apartments, and many residents rely on public transportation.
On Wednesday, Detroit reported eight new deaths and nearly 200 more positive cases, bringing the total confirmed infections to 2,383.
The increase comes as hospitals are running out of ventilators, intensive-care beds, trained medical staff, and personal protective gear like masks, gloves, and gowns.
"Detroit is having a lot of hard times," President Donald Trump said during a press conference Wednesday. "It came out of nowhere. ... This could be a hell of a bad two weeks.
Trump's top health officials expect the deaths to grow exponentially until April 12.
So far, 91 members of the Detroit Police Department and 17 firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 525 DPD members and 1,336 firefighters are quarantined.
Wayne County now has 4,470 positive cases and 146 deaths. In Oakland County, there are 1,910 positive cases and 99 deaths. Macomb County now has 1,088 confirmed infections and 51 deaths.
Five other Michigan counties have more than 100 confirmed cases: Washtenaw (401), Genesee (249), Ingham (121), Kent (119), and Livingston (101).
Of the total cases, 1% are among patients 0 to 19 years old, 10% 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.
The death rate is far higher for men, who make up 64% of the fatalities but 49% of the positive cases.
Those who have died range in age from 25 to 107. The average age for deaths is 71.1, with a median age of 72.
Globally, there were more than 921,000 coronavirus cases in 180 countries, and 46,252 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The U.S. has more positive cases than any country in the world, with 206,207 confirmed infections and 4,542 deaths, a two-fold increase since Monday.
Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.
