GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Active cases of COVID-19 have gone down 60% in the past month, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
On Dec. 30, MDHHS reported 157,400 active cases of COVID-19. On Jan. 30, 62,800 active cases were reported.
There was a spike on Dec. 11, MDHHS reported 218,100 active cases. However, percent positivity in COVID-19 cases has been steadily decreasing as cases have declined since the start of a surge in November.
According to research by the University of Michigan School of Public Health, the increase in COVID-19 restrictions over the holidays, after the Pause to Save Lives mandate, may have prevented more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases in the state.
U-M's modeling showed that between Nov. 15 and Jan. 8, about 109,000 cases were prevented. U-M said that based on Michigan’s rate of fatality of 2.6%, that translates to 2,800 lives saved.
The researchers also looked at how government response measures—including closures, economic supports and public health efforts—impacted cases. They found that states with higher average “government response index” did better at containing the spread of the virus.
Michigan had the lowest cases count among Midwestern states over the holiday season. Indiana, which had the lowest government response index, had the highest.
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