Michigan COVID-19 hospitalizations tick up as 7-day average hits 5-month high

DETROIT – Michigan is reporting an increase in hospitalizations for coronavirus as the state’s 7-day moving case average hits its highest point since late April.

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Michigan has risen to 124,687 as of Wednesday, including 6,762 deaths, state officials report.

Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 867 on Wednesday, the highest since April 30. The state’s fatality rate is 5.4 percent. The 7-day death average has been around 10 for the last few weeks, slightly higher than in early September.

The state has reported an increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the last two weeks. On Sept. 18, 481 were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That number hit 674 on Sept. 30.

Patients in critical care remains relatively low, with 152 in critical care and 59 on ventilators. Back on April 12, for reference, 3,986 were hospitalized, with 1,570 in critical care and 1,365 on ventilators, according to state data.

There are, of course, big differences between the COVID-19 landscape in April and in October. Hospitals have ramped up capacity since then. The state is also testing about three times more than it was in April. The positivity rate in late April was around 10%. Currently, it’s near 3%.

Michigan is 12th in testing rate in the U.S., 38th in cases per one million, and 10th in deaths per one million. The U.S. is 20th in the world in testing rate. More than 200,000 have died in the U.S.

More: COVID-19 data in Michigan