Here is the latest information on the coronavirus in Michigan, including the number of cases state officials report and other updates affecting West Michigan.
Thursday's cases
The state reported 1,325 new cases and 164 new deaths, but 55 of those deaths have accumulated over a period longer than the last 24 hours.
The total number of cases in Michigan is 35,291 and the death toll is 2,977, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting 759 cases and 28 deaths, and the Federal Correctional Institute is reporting 66 cases.
Kent County's case count has increased from 550 to 815 from Monday to Thursday. The director of the county's health department has attributed this spike to increased testing.
The additional deaths reported Thursday come from a review of death certificate data maintained in Vital Records reporting systems, which are now being reviewed three times per week by MDHHS employees.
According to MDHHS: "As a part of this process, records that identify COVID-19 infection as a contributing factor to death are compared against all laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS). If a death certificate is matched to a confirmed COVID-19 case and that record in the MDSS does not indicate the individual died, the MDSS record is updated to indicate the death and the appropriate local health department is notified."
The state emphasizes that the report of cumulative data is "provisional and subject to change. As public health investigations of individual cases continue, there will be corrections to the status and details of referred cases that result in changes to this report." The state is also no longer reporting new cases by county.
Whitmer announces temporary pay raise for direct care workers
Direct care workers providing Medicaid-funded in-home behavioral health and long-term care services can expect a $2-per-hour pay raise for the next few months, amid the pandemic.
“It has never been more important to care for our most vulnerable residents, and these direct care health workers are risking their lives every day to make sure we continue to flatten the curve,” Gov. Whitmer said.
Republicans make plans to try and cut Whitmer's emergency powers
Just a day before the governor is expected to announce her plans for another stay-at-home order, Republican lawmakers announced they plan to do what they can to limit her powers, according to the Associated Press.
59 people in GR homeless population have tested positive for COVID-19
The homeless community, a population that the Kent County Health Department was most concerned about, has seen over 50 coronavirus cases in the last several weeks.
"We have seen a large number of people experiencing homelessness who test positive for COVID-19," said registered nurse and Kent County Health Department's Director of Community Wellness, Joann Hoganson.
Calhoun County says it's still in upswing of cases
Calhoun County has a 177 coronavirus cases, six deaths and 48 hospitalized patients, as of Thursday morning.
"It is important for the community to remember that we are still on our projected COVID-19 case upswing. As the virus progresses in its spread, we hope to see our peak in positive cases soon, but Calhoun is not there yet. Continuing to do your part by following CDC guidance remains crucial at this time," read a statement from the Calhoun County Public Health Department.
The county says it is working to curb the spread by utilizing contact tracing and expanding testing.
“This increased access to testing will create more reliable contact tracing efforts as the virus is less able to hide in our community,” said Calhoun County Health Officer, Eric Pessell.
In addition, two probable cases were reported at the Calhoun County Jail between an officer and a new inmate. The inmate was immediately isolated.
Davenport offers free course to help unemployed land their next job
On April 23, Davenport University announced that it will offer a free career-focused class to people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19.
The online course will provide an opportunity for participants to hone their presentation skills, build their resumes, enhance their LinkedIn profiles and earn three college credits. It's a 7-week course and there will be four different sessions with two starting May 6 and two beginning July 1.
Governor expands unemployment criteria
According to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office, the order expands the state’s workshare program, offering more tools to employers to reduce layoffs. It also extends unemployment benefits to workers who voluntarily left a job after accepting new employment but were unable to start their new position due to the pandemic.
The Michigan Unemployment Agency said Thursday that it has provided an estimated 820,000 unemployed Michigan workers $1.37 billion in benefits. The U.S. Dept. of Labor released numbers on April 23 showing that 1,178,021 Michiganders have filed for unemployment since March 15, with 134,119 workers filing claims just last week.
Wednesday's cases
There are 999 new cases and 113 new deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The total number of cases is now at 33,966 and the death toll is 2,813.
There was a spike in the death toll on Tuesday, after a several day decline, however, that was due in part to the addition of death certificates from the week prior. The state will review death certificates weekly. If a patient who dies is matched to a confirmed COVID-19 case, this will count towards the state's death toll, which applies to 95 deaths reported Tuesday. This accounts for spikes in the death toll on April 10 and April 16.
The number of new deaths reported Wednesday is lower than the day prior, but higher when put up against Monday's death toll of 77.
The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting 655 cases and 25 deaths, and the Federal Correctional Institute is reporting 57 cases and no deaths.
Kent County's case count rose to 757 on Wednesday, up by 131 cases since the day prior, which is the highest day-to-day increase for the county.
Wednesday headlines:
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