Michigan adds 18,945 cases, 62 deaths from COVID-19 over last week

Michigan added 18,945 cases of COVID and 62 deaths from the virus on Wednesday, including totals from the previous six days.

The state reported an average of about 2,706 cases per day over the seven days, an increase from 2,069 cases per day last week.

After declining for nearly three months, hospitalization rates and cases in Michigan increased for the fourth straight week. This week's additions are an increase from last week's April 27 announcement that the state had added 14,482 cases and 67 deaths from the virus. On April 20, the state health department announced Michigan added 10,474 cases and 78 deaths from the virus over the previous seven days.

Between April 25 and May 1, about 10.7% of Michigan's COVID-19 tests returned positive, compared to 7.8% the week prior. There is an average of 18,021 weekly cases in the state.

Wednesday's additions bring the state's overall total to 2,444,891 cases and 36,064 deaths since the virus was first detected here in March 2020.The latest figures come as the state and several Michigan counties have relaxed regulations to stem the spread of the virus.

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On Monday, the state reported 608 adults and 19 pediatric patients were hospitalized with confirmed infections, an increase from 511 adults and 15 children last week.

It's a steep decline from records set on Jan. 10, when 4,580 adults were hospitalized with COVID-19. 

About 4% of the state's hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients and there were an average of 1,145 emergency room visits related to COVID-19 per day in the state as of Monday. That compares to 24% of hospital beds being full and 2,889 daily emergency room visits due to the virus in the first week of January.

However, five Michigan counties remain at a "high" level for the increased burden on health care or severe disease: Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle and Washtenaw, according to the state health department.

Case counts are well below early January when the state set a new high mark with more than 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day.

In Michigan, variants of the virus have moved at a high rate, proving more contagious than past variants and infecting both unvaccinated and vaccinated residents.

A new iteration of the omicron variant, BA.2, is now the dominant across Michigan and the country, but experts say another surge of cases is unlikely.

The Food and Drug Administration expanded its approval of remdesivir on April 25, making it the first COVID-19 treatment for children under age 12.

In Michigan, 290 cases of a rare inflammatory condition in children linked with the coronavirus have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 65% of kids with the syndrome are admitted to intensive care units and there have been five deaths.

In Michigan, residents ages 30 to 39 currently have the highest case rate of any age group.

As of Monday, 81 new outbreaks were reported over the prior week. The majority, 39 outbreaks, were in long-term care facilities and senior assisted living centers, 35 outbreaks were in K-12 schools and five were in daycare programs. The state is tracking 167 ongoing outbreak cases.

About 66%, or 6.6 million, state residents have received their first doses of a vaccine, and 60% are fully vaccinated. More than 231,000 children ages 5 to 11 in Michigan, or 28%, have received their first dose of the vaccine.

More than 3.1 million, or 36.7% of the eligible population, have received a vaccine booster in Michigan and 5.2 million are fully vaccinated.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_