GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Here is the latest information on the coronavirus in Michigan, including the number of cases state offices report and other updates affecting West Michigan.
Thursday's cases
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 924 daily cases of coronavirus Thursday. It's been six months since the first cases were reported on Michigan on March 10; there's been a total of 109,519 cases since then.
There were 17 deaths recorded, but that included nine from a review of death certificate data. The death toll is now 6,569.
The latest data on recoveries is from Friday, Sept. 4. It shows that 80,678 people have recovered from the virus. The state updates this data every Saturday. A recovery is counted as anyone who is 30 days out from the onset of their symptoms.
Hospitalizations are fluctuating. There are 577 suspected/confirmed COVID-19 patients in Michigan hospitals, 75 on ventilators, and 165 in critical care as of Sept. 10.
Michigan is reporting the number of cases at long term care facilities. That data can be seen here.
Whitmer announces tuition-free community college program for frontline workers
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday a tuition-free community college program for frontline workers who provided essential services during the pandemic.
Futures for Frontliners is inspired by the GI Bill and is funded through a $24 million investment by the Governor's Education Emergency Relief (GEER) Fund -- part of the CARES Act.
The program is not only available to those in the medical field, it's available for essential workers in manufacturing, nursing homes, grocery stores, sanitation, delivery, and retail.
►Read more here.
UIA: Michigan workers provided additional $300
The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has started processing payments for Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) for eligible Michiganders. Due to the large volume of payments to be processed, workers will begin receiving LWA payments over the next week to ten days.
LWA is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide $300 per week to supplement unemployment benefits for those who are unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. To be eligible for LWA, a claimant’s weekly benefit amount must be at least $100 (before deductions).
“Initially, eligible claimants will receive LWA for the benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020,” said UIA Director Steve Gray, “An estimated 910,000 claimants will receive these much-needed additional benefits.”
Workers do not have to file a separate claim or application for LWA. To qualify, claimants must self-certify whether they are unemployed due to COVID-19. For claimants who have already provided a self-certification on their claim filing application, no further action is needed to qualify. Also, all unemployed workers receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) have already completed this step.
Claimants who need to self-certify will receive notification to answer a question in their MiWAM account starting this week. If a claimant has chosen to receive US mail, notification will be mailed.
FEMA has recently alerted states that LWA funds will only be available for a total of six weeks. States were initially granted three weeks of LWA benefits and must apply for additional weeks. UIA has applied for all available weeks of benefits which will be payable until the week ending September 5.
Second death from COVID-19 in Manistee County reported
District Health Department #10 received notification that a Manistee County resident died from complications due to COVID-19 on Monday, September 7. The individual was a male in his 70’s who passed away at Spectrum Health - Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids.
Wednesday's cases
In the state's Wednesday update, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services state reported 783 cases of coronavirus Wednesday. The total number of confirmed cases is now 108,595.
There were 13 deaths recorded. The death toll has reached 6,552.
State recommendations for COVID-19
People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe illnesses. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC. The symptoms include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
*Note: This list does not include all possible symptoms. It will be updated as the CDC and health officials learn more about the virus.
The best prevention for viruses, such as influenza, the common cold or COVID-19 is to:
- If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, call your health care provider. If you do not have a health care provider, call the nearest hospital.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If not available, use hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick.
- If you are sick, stay home, and avoid contact with others.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others when in a public setting.
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