More than 10,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Michigan as of Dec. 8.
The 191 deaths added to the state’s toll brought Michigan to 10,138. Another 5,909 cases brought that number to 410,295. The current fatality rate to COVID-19 is 2.47 percent.
On a nationwide scale, Michigan ranks ninth among the states by total deaths, according to The New York Times, although The Times has Michigan at 10,415 deaths as of today. On a per-capita basis, Michigan is 11th at 104 deaths per 100,000 people.
As a result, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across Michigan to be lowered to half-staff for 10 days – representing one day per 1,000 deaths – through Dec. 18 to honor and mourn the more than 10,000 people who lost their lives due to COVID-19.
The week of Dec. 8, the state added 34 new school outbreaks tied to 98 COVID-19 cases. Overall, the state has 267 school outbreaks across the state with 7,518 associated cases. Both of those numbers are up from last week’s 260 outbreaks and 7,105 cases.
Of the 267 outbreaks listed that week, 96 are traceable to high schools, or 35 percent overall, with 889 associated cases, or 11 percent of the overall case count among schools.
For colleges, there are 37 outbreaks but 6,013 cases associated with those outbreaks, or 79 percent of the overall case count.
As part of the order announced and recently extended to Dec. 20 by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the state called for the halt of in-person instruction at high schools and colleges.
This story courtesy of MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.