LANSING, Mich — The coronavirus made 2020 Michigan’s deadliest year, driving a nearly 18% increase in deaths over 2019, according to preliminary state data.
It was the largest annual percentage jump on record, surpassing a 15.6% increase in 1918 — when the flu pandemic struck. More than 115,300 people died in Michigan last year, up from about 97,800 in 2019. COVID-19 has been linked to nearly 16,700 deaths.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking all residents to turn on their porch lights between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday night to mark the one-year anniversary since Michigan’s first confirmed cases.
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