The number of deaths from the coronavirus doubled in Michigan in just two days, a troubling trend that is overwhelming hospitals.
Michigan reported 75 new deaths — the largest single-day increase, bringing the death toll to 259. At this time a week ago, Michigan had 24 deaths.
Metro Times
The number of new confirmed infections rose to more than 7,600, up 1,117 in the past 24 hours.
Public and private labs have now tested more than 25,000 people. More than 1,500 people are now tested a day in Michigan. But even that is not enough. A vast majority of sick people are not tested.
Of the state’s 83 counties in Michigan, 67 have positive cases.
Detroit reported 23 new deaths, bringing its total to 75, with a total of 2,080 confirmed cases.
“The death toll continues to climb,” Mayor Mike Duggan said during a news conference Tuesday. “We’re continuing to lose our neighbors.”
Duggan said he expects the crisis to get worse for several more weeks and fears Detroit is heading in the direction of New York, the epicenter of the outbreak.
“We could be in that situation in two weeks if we don’t keep distance between each other,” Duggan said.
So far, 76 members of the Detroit Police Department and 17 firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 522 DPD members and 133 firefighters are quarantined.
Michigan ranks fourth in the nation in total confirmed cases, trailing California, New Jersey, and New York.
Wayne County now has 3,725 positive cases and 120 deaths. In Oakland County, there are 1,591 positive cases and 70 deaths. Macomb County now has 852 confirmed infections and 38 deaths.
Three other Michigan counties have more than 100 confirmed cases: Washtenaw (305), Genesee (185) and Kent (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, 19% are 60 to 69, 14% are 70 to 79, and 8% are 80 and older.
The death rate is far higher for men, who make up 69% of the fatalities but 50% of the positive cases. Those who have died range in age from 25 to 107.
The average age for deaths is 64.4, with a median age of 65.
Globally, there were more than 846,000 coronavirus cases in 180 countries, and 41,261 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The U.S. has more positive cases than any country in the world, with 181,099 confirmed infections and 3,606 deaths, a two-fold increase since Sunday.
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