Lansing Lines is presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.
Nesbitt Calls On Gordon To Resign
Senate President Pro Tem Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) called on Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon to resign after extending by 12 days the three-week shutdown of restaurants, entertainment venues, in-person high school instruction, and youth sports.
Just as former Unemployment Insurance Agency director Steve Gray “recently resigned in shame,” Nesbitt said Gordon has overseen a state department that’s experiencing “bureaucratic disasters . . . directly linked to poor leadership.”
Nesbitt flagged Gordon for putting seniors at risk for contracting COVID by putting positive patients in nursing homes with a vulnerable population. That policy has changed. Nesbitt also said Gordon oversaw the initial contact-tracing contract, which went to a firm with Democratic ties. It was quickly revoked and re-awarded to another company.
The Senator’s biggest gripe is that the partial shutdown is being continued through a “one-size-fits-all-approach” that “lacks collaboration, thoughtfulness, and empathy.”
“The time for Director Gordon to resign is way past due, and the governor should replace him with an independent leader who will bring much-needed organization and a spirit of partnership to this administration,” said Nesbitt, who also is the co-chair of the joint legislative COVID-19 response committee and chair of the Senate’s advice and consent committee.
A DHHS spokesperson said, “Director Gordon is focused on doing his job and protecting the health of all Michiganders.”
Gordon told Michigan’s Big Show this morning that his decision to restrict movement to prevent the spread of COVID-19 “weighs on me.”
“Obviously, this is a difficult time to be working in a health department. I and my colleagues are working very long hours, around the clock,” he said. “I know the virus weighs on everyone on Michigan and it weighs on the people who are restricted by the action it takes.
“It’s hard for me, but I know it’s hard for folks who are working in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, all of these settings. I feel for those folks deeply. I also feel for the people who are at risk and getting sick because of the virus. It’s an exhausting time for all,” Gordon said.
Gordon has been in front of legislative committees four times to discuss the contact tracing contract and the nursing home decision, among other topics. Asked if he feels like he’s treated fairly or if politics gets in the way, he said, “I would love to have more conversations on what we can do to restrain the virus.”
Pressed if he finds it frustrating that lawmakers don’t want to talk about codifying an indoor mask law, for instance, Gordon conceded, “Yes, we would all be better off if we were talking about taking steps together on fighting the virus starting with all wearing masks.”
Mental Health Will Be Key Issue For Psychologist Brabec
Mental health issues are on the minds of constituents now more than in previous elections, according to Felicia Brabec, who has served for nine years on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and will be the 55th District’s newest representative to the state House come January.
“I’m concerned about what we are heading into, the necessary isolation and distancing from one another physically. It is challenging,” Brabec told MIRS Monday in early December. “At the beginning, when we locked down in March, the days were getting longer. We were coming into warmer weather where we could be outside. Now, this is going to be more challenging.”
That is particularly an issue in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, located in a valley and many people already have season affective disorder and vitamin D deficiencies, she said.
“It is going to be complicated this winter season. We are relational beings by nature. So that really takes its toll, between not seeing the sun and not being able to see those who we really want to connect with in the way that we are used to,” she said.
Brabec is a practicing clinical psychologist with a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and more than two decades of experience.
She also is the longest-serving member of the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners at present. In January, she’ll step up to the state House, the result of a 72.4 percent vote margin victory in the General Election in November. She’ll be replacing the term-limited Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor).
There currently are no other mental health practitioners serving in the state Legislature, which will give her a unique perspective on an issue that often has been discussed in Lansing: the poor state of mental health services in the state.
“One thing we know, both on the public side and on the private side, and we obviously particularly see it on the public side, is that the reimbursement rates are not commensurate with the services that are being rendered for our community members. So what is happening is that the agencies who are available to do those services can’t afford it because the reimbursement rates are abysmal,” she said.
On the private side, she said reimbursement rates also are off, but there is additionally a great deal of “red tape to have clients be able to get access to mental health care services.”
Further, Brabec argued, mental health services were more “robust” 25 years ago. She explained that an in-patient client in crisis once treated in a hospital would have had step-down hospitalization. Then they could move to intensive out-patient therapy before moving to out-patient service.
“Now those two middle steps are virtually gone,” Brabec said. “It feels like we have lost the robustness and so people, if a bed is available, if they are lucky enough to get a bed and get that support, then they are automatically released to outpatient and that usually is not enough support from when people are in crisis. So, I think that is also a big issue that we have an opportunity to work on.”
Beds for adolescents are particularly difficult to find in Michigan, she said.
“I know of a family where a minor, it was suggested the minor be hospitalized in-patient out of state, which to me seems foolish, that that is a reasonable alternative to right here at home finding a bed for this kiddo,” she said.
Brabec grew up in the Chicago suburb of Aurora. Brabec’s parents are an interracial couple who would not have been able to be married legally only a few years earlier, she said.
“That impacted me and my sister in terms of the way that we grew up. My dad, who is black, my mom is white, was pulled over two blocks from our house and asked what he was doing in that neighborhood. My parents instilled in both my sister and I that the value of community and giving back, if you have the opportunity to do that, there is a responsibility to do it,” Brabec said.
She came to Ann Arbor for her post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan. That took two years, but she then joined the counseling center as a staff member.
“I came to Ann Arbor and really loved it and thought, ‘well, I’ll be here for a couple of years. I really like it and it’s really nice.’ I met Dave a couple months after moving here and here we are 17 years later, two kids, ingrained in the community and we love it,” Brabec explained.
Mental health issues will be top of mind for her when she gets to Lansing, but so will environmental issues as well as education.
“The way that I conceptualize environmental issues is as a public health concern,” Brabec said. “And so I see them inextricably linked. So, we would talk a lot about the environmental impact in terms of public health and the impact on the community and community health. Those issues would come up a lot. The other issues that came up a lot were educational issues, particularly around funding. Just in the 55th alone, there are five different school districts. When you look over the districts, how different the funding is, how different the resources are, parents have access to resources because of their own funding.”
Brabec said she has learned from her time on the county board the importance of compromise and recognizing progress, even in small steps.
“We may have a North Star that we are really trying to get to, but it is really important to not overlook all those approximations that we need to engage around to get to that North Star. And I think that redefining success is important and being able to say, ‘but we took this step and that was really important in terms of the foundation to be able to get us to the next step.’ That is the other thing I think from my social work background in psychology is those approximations, that scaffolding to your North Star, is really important,” Brabec said.
She’s an athlete and a sports fan, so she’s glad she can now watch sports again. But she and her family just bought some Peloton equipment, and she said she’s surprised how much fun she’s having with that equipment.
“There is this community, being able to work out, that I didn’t expect to enjoy as much and just didn’t know as much about before we got it. It has been kind of fun to connect with folks,” Brabec said. “It is another way to connect, especially when we can’t see one another. So I feel lucky and privileged to have the space to have access to that and to be able to connect with folks through that avenue too.”
Shirkey ‘Demands’ Gov Create Metrics For Restaurant Reopenings
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-ClarkLake) “demanded” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer create metrics that restaurants could use during shutdowns.
The administration should target those establishments that violate health and safety standards designed to protect patrons from COVID-19 spread, Shirkey said, as opposed to issuing orders that “threaten the livelihood of an entire industry.”
“Michiganders know how to protect ourselves and others from COVID,” he said. “We need to band together and be conscious of the activities that we know increase the chances of spreading or contracting the virus. Our individual behavior contributes more to increased cases than any single industry or business.”
Shirkey’s comments came after the Department of Health and Human Services reported another 7,146 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 175 more deaths, with 112 of those recovered in a vital records review, which Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive said are “alarmingly high.”
On Dec. 3, the number of deaths reported was the fifth-most reported in a single day since the pandemic struck. Nov. 3 was the third deadliest day. The other three days all happened in April.
The cumulative numbers are now at 380,343 cases and 9,580 deaths in Michigan. Whitmer said during her press conference today that based on what she’s seeing, an extension to three-week closures is “sadly possible.”
“If we have to make extensions of the current pause in some realms — and that is sadly possible because of the sheer volume of COVID,” Whitmer said. “The early numbers look as though we’re seeing a little bit of leveling, that’s a good thing . . . Ultimately, we need to bring that down.”
In response to Shirkey’s comments, Whitmer Press Secretary Tiffany Brown said if the Senator is seriously concerned about the data, he wouldn’t skip the weekly data calls with the state health experts that he’s regularly invited to.
“We understand that people are tired, but these public health measures are not the enemy — they are a roadmap for a faster and more sustainable recovery,” Brown said. “The governor will continue to follow the data and advice of public health experts. She looks forward to working with the Legislature on a $100 million bipartisan relief package to protect our families, essential workers and small businesses.”
In related news, the Senate passed several COVID-19 related response bills, including:
– SB 1076, which pauses for the 2019 tax year the minimum contribution that charities have to meet to stay on the state’s list of possible check-offs on the state’s annual income tax form. The Sen. Pete MacGregor (R-Rockford) bill passed, 37-0.
– SB 1086, which allows the Department of Treasury to pause the exam requirement for students looking to receive the State Competitive Scholarship for the 2020-21 school year only. The Sen. Kim LaSata (R-Bainbridge Twp.) bill passed, 37-0.
– Sen. Jim Runestad’s (R-White Lake) SB 1203 gives businesses a one-year reprieve from having to track which computer, printer or office chair is going to which district as employees bring this equipment home for the time being. It passed, 37-0.
– SB 1160, sponsored by Sen. Rick Outman (R-Six Lakes), eases the certificate of need requirements for hospitals seeking an extended services program, which involves hospitals using “swing beds” to care for patients, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA) bill analysis.
– SB 1186, SB 1187, SB 1188 and SB 1189, allow electronic signatures to be used on official documents involving estates, wills, registers of deeds and state departments until July 1, 2021. The current law expires Jan. 1. The MacGregor bills all passed 37-0.
– Runestad’s SB 1234 allows low-income homeowners to carry the poverty exemption that excuses them from paying property taxes.
– HB 5824 and HB 5825 extend deadlines for local boards of review and county equalizations due to COVID-19. The Rep. Jim Ellison (D-Royal Oak) and Rep. Gregory Markkanen (R-Hancock) bills passed 37-0.
One-third Of Michigan Stayed Put On Thanksgiving—Not Enough, Says Gov
Close to one-third of all Michiganders didn’t go anywhere on Thanksgiving, according to a Facebook-connected mobility tool, but state health officials say that’s not good enough as Michigan grapples with controlling COVID-19 spread.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, “Too many people traveled for Thanksgiving” the “concerning amount of activity that happened around Thanksgiving” could make this month and the next “spreading events, sadly.”
According to the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network, the percentage of people who stayed put in Michigan went up between Nov. 25—the day before Thanksgiving—and Nov. 26, and for most of the country, as well.
For Michigan, the data indicated 22 percent of people stayed put on the Wednesday preceding Thanksgiving. On Thankgiving, that went to 32.77 percent, with the percentage bouncing toward 25 percent again after and then up closer to 30 percent by Sunday, Nov. 29.
As of Nov. 30, Michigan ranked eighth among the states in terms of people staying put, according to this site.
But Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Lynn Sutfin pointed out that while a third of people stayed put, that means two-thirds didn’t.
“During a case surge, we are looking for a large improvement in reduction of mobility to reduce interactions between people and therefore reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Sutfin said.
Switching over to Unacast’s Social Distancing Scoreboard, the site said Michigan as a whole saw 25 percent-40 percent reduction in mobility on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which then dropped to a 40 percent-55 percent reduction on Thanksgiving itself, before jumping back to the 25 percent-40 percent mobility range for the rest of the weekend through Sunday.
But Sutfin pointed out that Unacast ranked Michigan’s ability to social distance as a “D” on those days with a 25 percent-40 percent reduction in mobility, with the Thanksgiving grade registering as a “C.”
According to another mobility tracker provided by Google for Michigan for Nov. 29, data show residential mobility trends increased 5 percent compared to the baseline, while there were decreases of 29 percent for transit stations that day. Sutfin said there was an increase in residential mobility on the holiday itself, as well.
“We know millions of Americans traveled around Thanksgiving,” Whitmer said. “We know that there were a lot of people traveling in Michigan.”
Khaldun added that while decreased mobility was evident in early November, national data show people did travel over the holiday “in ways that they hadn’t since before when this . . . pandemic started.”
Whitmer urged people not to travel for Christmas, and said there’s a possibility that next month will be a “spreading event” as well because of the holiday, as she said there’s a lag time to see the impact it has on cases.
Gordon: When People Gather ‘Disease, Death Will Follow’
Whenever people gather indoors for hours without consistent mask wearing or distancing “there is a good chance disease and death will follow,” Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon told the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Dec. 3.
He was appearing to defend his pre-Thanksgiving orders for a three-week pause of in-classroom instruction in high schools as well as closing bars and indoor dining, bowling alleys, ice rinks, casinos and group fitness.
Gordon used the example of a Maine wedding reception for 55 people in August that led to 177 cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths.
“The most striking difference between Maine in August and Michigan now is that we have considerably more COVID. It is estimated that 360,000 of our fellow residents are currently infected,” Gordon said.
He also mentioned a Jackson couple, together for 50 years, who “relaxed their COVID-19 stance and died from it.”
“A vaccine is coming and by spring, things will be better,” Gordon said. “Between now and then, the decisions that we make and in particular our willingness to avoid unmasked indoor gatherings, those decisions will determine whether thousands of Michiganders will survive. One of those thousands could be a loved one to any of us. One of those thousands could one of us.”
Asked by Sen. Adam Hollier (D-Detroit) what the priority list will be when a vaccination is available, Gordon said it will go first to health care workers, nursing home staff and nursing home residents.
Gordon predicted that in January, the state will still be trying to cover that first priority group. After that, “there is a broad second category of priorities,” which he didn’t specify.
He said he believes it will be spring before a vaccine will be widely available to the general public, but that depends on production timelines.
Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) asked if Gordon thought there would be a vaccine mandate.
“If you thought there was a dust up with a mask mandate . . . ” O’Malley said, trailing off.
Gordon answered with a simple “no.”
But he got pushback from committee members, particularly Sen. Kim LaSata (R-Bainbridge Twp.).
“I’m tired of you playing with our kids’ lives,” LaSata said. “. . . Why are you doing this to our kids? I mean, how many kids have really died in Michigan? Do you have a number of kids that have died in Michigan that you can explicitly say that it was just because of COVID and that’s it? Do you have a number?”
Gordon said he would get that number for the committee, but he also noted that students come home and get their parents sick and get their grandparents sick.
He contended that 49 percent of outbreaks in schools occur in high schools, so high schools account for about a third of grades in K-12 education yet account for about half to two-thirds of the outbreaks in schools. Gordon said the outbreaks in high schools were “disproportional.”
COVID-Related Bills Get Quick Movement Out Of Committee
Bills extending deadlines and easing restrictions in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic won quick approval in the House Government Operations Committee Dec. 1 and were prepared for swift passage in the House for Dec. 2.
Local governments could continue to meet online until March 31, 2021, under Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Polkton Twp.)’s HB 5297.
Expired driver licenses and state ID cards as of March 1, 2020, would still be valid through March 31, 2021, under Rep. Brandt IDEN’s (R-Oshtemo Twp.) HB 5731, HB 5729, and HB 5735.
HB 5724, HB 5721, and HB 5715, sponsored by Rep. Jason Sheppard (R-Lambertville), which would extend licensing requirements for pharmacists and health facilities during a declared emergency, were reported 5-0 and are on the House calendar for action Dec. 2.
That’s the same for HB 6313, by Rep. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell), which gives Realtors two extra months to meet their continuing education requirements because of COVID.
On allowing government bodies to continue meeting online until the end of March, Meerman said there is a lot of support for extending the time. When asked why the date was being moved only out to March 31, he said the bill might lose votes if it were extended further.
“Philosophically, myself, we want local units of government to meet in person if possible and this to be an exception to the rule not a something that is easily done,” he said.
Jennifer Smith, of the Michigan Association of School Boards, noted the state law requires school boards to meet once a month, although most meet twice a month. Under the state’s Return to Learn plan, school boards are required to vote once a month to renew their Continuity of Learning plans.
That means that if the time is not extended, only school board members serving in the military and those with medical conditions would be allowed to attend meetings virtually. Those who live with family members who have medical conditions would not get that same exemption, Smith pointed out.
She contended that as local meetings have been put online this year, participation has actually increased.
The committee voted 5-0 to report the bill. The bill advanced to Third Reading on the floor later in the day, but not until Rep. Lori Stone (D-Warren) took a shot at extending virtual meetings to the state Legislature itself.
“It baffles me that we recognize the need for other government bodies to meet remotely during emergencies such as the pandemic, to ensure that they can continue to serve the people of Michigan, yet don’t extend the same guidelines to this chamber,” Stone said in a floor speech. “The Legislature is the only branch of the Michigan government without a plan in place to continue to serve Michiganders during this crisis. How many of us need to fall ill because of COVID before we recognize the danger this pandemic poses to both our health and our ability to do our job?”
Her amendment failed in a voice vote, but the bill progressed to Third Reading.
The most controversial COVID-related bill before Government Operations today was HB 5846, by Rep. Triston Cole (R-Mancelona), which would allow for virtual driver’s education classes for homeschool students. Parents would give their youngsters in-car driving instruction while online instructors would cover the classroom portion.
“When this pandemic began, the world turned upside down for everyone and a whole generation of new drivers were left with an abundance of uncertainty, including my middle daughter. Parents were left with rules in place that cost them money, time and a great deal of frustration. Many families truly need their children to acquire driver’s licenses,” Cole told the committee.
Matt Levin, of the Department of State, said the Secretary of State’s office has launched a two-year pilot program as of September, but it is set by rules rather than statute so that it can be adjusted easily. He argued the bill would impact the driver’s education market in Michigan.
“It is really very opportunistic to come in and sell this program to homeschool folks and it benefits homeschoolers. It benefits the entity that is selling the prepackaged instruction and keep in mind they do not provide any classroom instruction in Michigan, so they are really poaching the market. And it is going to devastate our current driver’s education market. We have a robust competitive market,” Levin said.
He contended the bill would let homeschool students get a driver’s license while skipping Segment 1 and Segment 2 of driver education training.
“There is no marketplace that will correct the dangers you’re putting on the road with this legislation,” Levin said.
Dave Muma, owner of the Century Driving School, agreed the bill would allow students to skip Segment 1 and 2.
“Allowing people to skip it would definitely be a hazard,” Muma said. “Michigan has the sixth safest roadway as far as teen drivers go. We have put a lot of years into keeping our roadways safe. Parent-taught in Texas has a crash rate that is seven times greater than others, than those that took driver’s education in Texas.”
Cole countered that in Michigan, individuals at age 18 can take the test and acquire a license with no training.
“I would like to note that homeschool parents are intimately involved with the education of their children. It is not the average parent that would be helping to instruct through the early stages of driver’s training,” Cole contended. “These parents are very in tune with their children and very, very qualified to help with the instruction of those children.”
Minority Leader Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills) objected.
“I take a little exception to that comment. I was very in tune with my children and they were not homeschooled,” Greig said.
The committee voted 3-2 to report the bill. Chair Jason Sheppard (R-Lambertville), Cole and Rep. Jim Lilly (R-Park Twp.) voted yes. Greig and Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) voted no. HB 5846 was not on the agenda for Second Reading.
The bills were reported in 5-0 votes and advanced to Third Reading on the floor later in the day.
A COVID-related bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee that moved was Sen. Curtis VanderWall’s SB 1185, which would exempt health professionals and operating sites from being held liable for injury or death connected to COVID-19 response services as long as gross negligence and willful misconduct doesn’t surface.
The bill is similar to legislation passed earlier this year, but the new version extends the coverage for services provided between Oct. 29 this year and Feb. 14, 2021.
Once A COVID Hotspot, Detroit Now Lowest Infection Rate In State
Detroit was once a Michigan COVID-19 hotbed. Now, in the midst of a statewide surge, the city’s per-capita case rate is lower than any county in Michigan.
From Nov. 1-28, the Motor City’s per-capita case rate of 621.6 cases per 100,000 people was lower than the rest of Wayne County, which has been sorted separately from Detroit for data purposes by the state, and Michigan’s remaining 82 counties.
The next lowest per-capita case rate for November is Manistee County, with 737 cases per 100,000 people. The population data is based on 2019 figures available at the state’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives website.
At the top of the list in November is Baraga County with 3,618 cases per 100,000 people, while Dickinson, Branch, Delta, and Muskegon counties round out the top five.
Detroit was the case leader per capita for the months of March (702.5 per 100K) and April (764.9 per 100K) before slipping down the list, according to a MIRS analysis of past state data.
In May, Detroit fell to second behind Kent County on a COVID-per-capita basis among the counties. It was 11th in June, 22nd in July, 38th in August, 63rd in September, and then 82nd in October.
Over the weekend, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said on Face the Nation that Detroit has the lowest infection rate in the state and half that of the surrounding suburbs, according to a Detroit Free Press account of the program.
Henry Ford Vaccine Freezers Ready By Dec. 1
The Henry Ford Health System began in November installing the specialized freezers needed to store and maintain the new vaccines for COVID-19, and they were scheduled to be ready by Dec. 1, well before the first doses of the vaccines arrive.
The Pfizer vaccine has been submitted for emergency use authorization and is expected to be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee on Dec. 10. Shipments could be received by Henry Ford as early as Dec. 12, according to today’s announcement by the health care system.
Moderna has indicated it will soon apply for emergency use authorization and, if approved, its vaccine could be available in early January.
At last word, Michigan is slated to receive several hundred thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the end of the year. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses administered between three and four weeks apart. It has not been determined how many doses will be received by Henry Ford.
The Pfizer mRNA vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit). The Moderna mRNA vaccine needs to be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Over the past few weeks, Henry Ford has received and began installing six freezers needed for the Pfizer vaccine, and six freezers needed for the Moderna vaccine.
While the freezers are available commercially, many are on back order now as states, local health departments and health care providers across the U.S. and around the world scramble to get them.
“Since we saw this potential need a few months back, we put in our order and made a concerted effort to be very proactive by securing these super freezers early on,” said Ed Szandzik, vice president of Pharmacy Operations for the Henry Ford Health System.
Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit will have two of each type of freezer. Henry Ford Wyandotte, Henry Ford Macomb, Henry Ford West Bloomfield, and Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson will each have one of each kind of freezer.
All five hospitals have been approved as vaccine distribution sites by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“We have been investigating these specialized refrigeration units needed to store these vaccines and preparing our facilities and operations since early summer,” Szandzik said.
In an online press conference, Adnan Munkarah M.D., chief clinical officer of the health system, encouraged people to continue with mask wearing and social distancing during the holiday season. He especially encouraged college students to avoid large parties and gatherings before returning home.
Munkarah said the hospital system is well supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE). But staffing is a problem because a significant number of employees have been exposed in the community and have tested positive for COVID, requiring them to take time off work. In the past seven days, 158 employees tested positive, more than 17 percent.
Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun talked about the distribution of the vaccine statewide on the MIRS Monday Podcast this week at the end of November.
“This is going to be the most robust vaccine distribution initiative of the century, so it is going to be quite a response that we have to mount,” Khaldun said. “. . . We are working internally at the state health department with our local health departments, with our hospitals so that we can distribute the vaccine as effectively as possible.”
6% Of Three U.P. Counties, 3.25% Of Michigan Test Positive
Nearly 6 percent of the population in three Upper Peninsula counties have tested positive for COVID-19 and a fourth has 5 percent of its population testing positive, based on a calculation using Department of Health and Human Services data.
Dickinson has the state’s highest infection rate per capita with 6.05 percent, followed by Iron at 5.95 percent, Delta with 5.81 percent and Menominee at 4.79 percent. For the entire Upper Peninsula, 3.7 percent of the population has tested positive for COVID.
The numbers are a drastic change of fortune for the U.P. Back on June 1, eight U.P. counties made up the lowest per-person infection rates in the state. As of Nov. 25, four of the five highest per-person infection rates among Michigan counties were from north of the Mackinac Bridge.
In Kent County, 4.5 percent of the population has confirmed cases of positive for COVID-19. That’s the fourth highest percentage among the counties.
Interestingly, the lowest per-capita case percentage among the counties is also in the Upper Peninsula. Chippewa County is the only Michigan county where less than 1 percent of its population (.083 percent) has a confirmed case. The other low rates are in Northern Lower Peninsula counties — Manistee (1.33 percent), Montmorency (1.36 percent), Alcona (1.37 percent), Oscoda (1.44 percent) and Leelanau (1.51 percent).
Michigan reported 4,273 confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, the first sub-5,000 number since Nov. 6. Total confirmed cases in Michigan is 324,779, which is 3.25 percent of the state’s population.
New COVID-related deaths, according to DHHS, is 73, raising that number to 8,761.
In other news, DHHS reported that in last seven days, Michigan has the fifth highest number of COVID cases among the states and fourth highest number of deaths. Michigan has the seventh highest hospitalization rates and the sixth highest number of COVID patients in ICU.