Michigan adds 26,309 cases, 173 deaths from COVID-19 over 2 days

Michigan on Friday added 26,309 COVID-19 cases and 173 deaths from the virus, including cases from Thursday.

The state averaged 13,155 confirmed cases per day over the two days. Of the latest deaths, 121 were identified during a delayed records review, according to the state health department.

The additions bring the state's overall totals to 1,959,371 confirmed cases and 29,778 deaths since March 2020. 

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 3,435 adults and 87 pediatric patients were hospitalized with confirmed infections in the state. About 82% of the state's inpatient hospital beds are occupied.

Adult hospitalization rates are declining from records set on Jan. 10, when 4,580 adults were hospitalized with confirmed virus infections.

About 85% of COVID-19 hospitalizations are unvaccinated persons, compared to 15% of breakthrough cases. In November, unvaccinated adults aged 18 years and older had 11 times the risk of testing positive for the virus and 59 times the risk of dying from the virus compared to those fully vaccinated with booster doses, according to the state.

Earlier this month, the state set a new high mark when it reported more than 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day.

About 22% of hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients as of Friday and there were an average of 1,847 emergency room visits related to COVID-19 per day in the state.

Henry Ford Health System officials last week were optimistic over a slight drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations and in staff vacancies. 

Since Beaumont Health reported 857 COVID patients system-wide on Jan. 10, the highest since the first surge, the number dropped to 660 patients on Friday.

Federal medical teams have been deployed to assist at Beaumont's Dearborn location, Henry Ford Wyandotte, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw and Mercy Health Muskegon. 

State officials on Monday announced another federal medical team will be deployed in the coming days to aid the Lansing-based Sparrow Health System. 

The up to 25-person team will support Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, which last week reported being at 96% bed occupancy and having 179 COVID patients. 

Omicron variant driving rise in cases

In Michigan, variants of the virus are moving at a high rate, proving more contagious and infecting both unvaccinated and vaccinated residents.

Medical officials are recommending residents wear surgical or KN-95 masks as the omicron variant has been shown to linger on cloth masks.

The state, as of Wednesday, confirmed 1,541 cases of omicron by genetic sequencing at the Michigan Bureau of Laboratories in Lansing. The majority are in southeast Michigan. But experts say that a greater number of people are likely infected because only a small percentage of samples of the virus are sequenced.

Roughly 95% of cases of COVID-19 in the country are caused by the omicron variant, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For subscribers: When medical experts think omicron will peak in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an advisory in November recommending people wear masks at indoor gatherings regardless of their vaccination status. It remains in effect until further notice.

To manage the surge in Metro Detroit, the CDC has partnered with Wayne County and the City of Dearborn for a free COVID-19 PCR-only testing site at Ford Field Park announced this week. Click here for a list of all upcoming vaccine clinics and testing sites, sortable by date and location.

Michigan's latest data

Michigan remains at a high transmission rate and the state's percentage of tests returning positive has plateaued after increasing for the last four weeks. Illinois and Ohio have the highest case rates in the Midwest; California and Texas have the highest case rates in U.S.

Between Jan. 20-26, about 28.3% of Michigan's COVID-19 tests returned positive, a slight decline from 32.5% the third week of January.

Residents aged 30–39 currently have the highest case rate of any age group.

Reported outbreaks have been spiking since Christmas within long-term care facilities.

About 35% of K-12 school districts have mandatory mask policies in the state covering 55% of students. 

There have been 227 cases of a rare inflammatory condition formed in children from the COVID-19 virus where multiple organ systems become inflamed or dysfunctional. Of the cases, 147 — or 70% — were admitted to intensive care units and there have been five deaths.

About 65%, or 6.5 million, residents have received their first doses of a vaccine, as of Wednesday, and 58% are fully vaccinated. More than 204,000 children ages 5 to 11 in Michigan, or 25%, have received their first dose of the vaccine.

More than 2.75 million vaccine booster doses have been administered in Michigan. 

Approximately 2% of those fully vaccinated have been reported with a breakthrough infection, according to the state health department.

The state considered 1,421,905 people recovered from the virus as of Jan. 20. 

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_