LANSING, Mich. — There are 158,026 total cases of COVID-19 and 7,182 deaths in Michigan, the state reported Saturday.
That's up 3,338 cases and 35 deaths from the day before, setting a new record for the highest single-day jump since Oct. 15's 2,030 coronavirus case increase.
As of Oct. 17, 109,539 people have recovered from the virus, according to state health officials.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released the following statement regarding the report of more than 3,300 positive test results:
“The data shows we are continuing to see alarming increases in the incidence of COVID-19 infections in Michigan, “said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. “It is now more important than ever that people take this seriously. Wear a mask every time you are going to be around someone outside of your own household. Avoid large gatherings and maintain a safe distance from others. If rates continue like this, we risk overwhelming our hospitals and having many more Michiganders die.”
The MDHHS also stated that "while the data represents the date that the information was delivered to MDHHS from reporting labs, it does represent more current trends in disease occurrence. In fact, more than 96% of the test results being reported today originated from specimens that were collected from individuals in the past five days."
Governor Gretchen Whitmer took to Twitter Saturday to remind residents to consider their fellow Michigander and "to do the right thing."
We are seeing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in Michigan right now. It is vital that we wear masks, avoid large gatherings, and practice physical distancing. Your fellow Michiganders and our frontline health care workers are counting on each one of us to do the right thing.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) October 24, 2020
According to the MDHHS, officials continue to see clusters of illness associated with facilities, programs and schools. The cases, along with a large number of community-acquired cases, have been contributing to the increase in reports of confirmed COVID-19 infection.
In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the current peak of daily COVID-19 cases is higher than what the state saw in April.
Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said the case rate is 80 percent more than one month ago. The percentage of positive tests is 4.9%, which represents community spread across the state.
Dr. Khaldun said all regions of the state have seen an increase in hospitalizations over the past three weeks.
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