More than half of Michigan’s COVID-19 patients now recovered

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SATURDAY, May 16 — For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Michigan, state officials are now recording that more than half of all patients  have recovered from the illness.   

Today’s statewide results show that more than 50,000 cases of COVID-19 have been tracked across Michigan in recent months. And of those confirmed cases, nearly 56% of patients have lived 30 days past the onset of their symptoms — a formal “recovery,” by official state standards.  

Technically, some of those patients could still be exhibiting flu-like symptoms and remain under medical treatment, officials have warned, but the vast majority are not in a hospital and have gone on to make a full recovery at home. Recoveries will be tracked statewide every Saturday. 

Across Michigan… 

Sears Auto Center in Frandor — the new site of Sparrow Health System’s drive-through testing site for COVID-19 and antibodies for the disease — will open at 6 a.m. on Monday. Nasal swab testing and antibody blood draws will be available, reports the Lansing State Journal.  

Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail has warned local residents that blood tests designed to look for antibodies to the coronavirus are not yet reliable or practical for the general public — despite their increasing availability at clinics and other facilities across Lansing and the state. 

Vail said the general lack of testing reliability and uncertainty regarding the immunity response to COVID-19 make it likely that the tests will give a false impression of vulnerability to the virus. 

“It would be tremendous if we could all know for sure if we were at risk for or safe from COVID-19, but the truth is that we cannot definitively give people this information,” Vail said. “There needs to be more research before we can truly interpret the results of these tests.” 

A total of $315 million in federal funds are also coming to Michigan from the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act for more COVID-19 tests, reports MLive.  

*** 

Businesses across the state are continuing to defy Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive stay-at-home orders as a lawsuit over her emergency authority moves forward next week. And many local law enforcement agencies tasked with enforcement are willing to allow violations. 

The Detroit News reports that Capri Drive-In near Coldwater in Branch County opened for business despite executive orders against the operation of the nonessential business. MLive reports that crowds have also flocked to a newly reopened animal park near Grand Rapids. 

Meanwhile, cops across Michigan are refusing to enforce executive orders, including sheriffs in Livingston and Shiawassee counties, the home of lawbreaking Owosso barber Karl Manke. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson has adopted a similar policy, reports the Detroit News.  

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf has even volunteered to speak at an anti-Whitmer rally in Grand Rapids from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday at Rosa Parks CIrcle in downtown Grand Rapids. The event is called “American Patriot Rally — Sheriffs speak out,” according to reports from MLive.  

And that’s despite a recent statement from the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan that clarifies that Whitmer’s orders remain in full effect and are legally enforceable statewide.  

*** 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine restarted parts of his state’s economy on Friday, with selected businesses opening for the first time since he issued a stay-at-home order in March, reports the Detroit News. As a result, hundreds of Michiganders have flocked south for goods and services. 

*** 

The Associated Press reports that J.C. Penney has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and its related business closures. The company is expected to close some of its stores and disclose additional details and timelines over the coming weeks.  

The Kroger Co. is ending a $2-an-hour coronavirus pay bump for front line workers and replacing it with one-time bonuses, a move that’s drawing criticism from the union that represents many of the grocery chain’s employees, according to reports in the Detroit News.  

The Detroit Institute of Arts is selling face masks with fine art patterns, including famous works like “Starry Night,” “The Scream,” and “Detroit Industry Wall,” reports the Detroit Free Press. The masks are available online for $24.95 each.  

In the numbers… 

Ingham County tracked at least 11 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, but no new confirmed cases were reported from Eaton or Clinton counties. No deaths were reported either. The regional death toll still stands at 37 with at least 947 confirmed cases in Greater Lansing. 

Michigan tracked at least another 425 coronavirus statewide cases this afternoon with another 55 virus-related deaths, edging up the case count past 50,500 with nearly 4,900 total deaths. 

Nineteen of the new COVID-19 deaths reported today were a result of death certificate reviews that identified the coronavirus as a contributing factor to the death, also tracked against confirmed lab samples. Those reviews are conducted by the state at least three times per week.  

Ingham County                        

Cases — 643 (+11) 

Recoveries — 261 

Recovery Rate — 40.6% 

Deaths — 21 (No change) 

Fatality Rate — 3.3% 

As of Friday, zip code 48911 tracks at least 191-201 cases. Zip code 48910 tracks 71-80 cases. Zip code 48823 tracks 61-70 cases. Zip code 48854 tracks 51-60 cases. Zip codes 48906 and 48864 each track 41-50 cases. Zip codes 48842 and 48912 each track 31-40 cases. Zip code 48915 tracks 21-30 cases. Zip code 48917, 48840, and 48895 each track 11-20 cases. Zip codes 48285, 48819, 48827, 48892, 48933, 49251, 49264 and 49285 each track 1-10 cases.   

Eaton County                 

Cases — 162 (No change) 

Recoveries — 136      

Recovery Rate — 84%    

Deaths — 6 (No change)           

Fatality Rate — 3.7%       

Clinton County                                                    

Cases — 132 (No change)     

Deaths — 10 (No change) 

Fatality Rate — 7.6%                                                 

The Mid-Michigan County Health Department does not report recovery statistics.                   

Michigan                        

Cases — 50,504 (+425) 

Recoveries — 28,234 (as of 5/15/20)                

Recovery Rate — 55.9%  

Deaths — 4,880 (+55) 

Fatality Rate — 9.7%    

State reports show that about 66% of cases (and 79% of deaths) are reported from Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, including the city of Detroit. Other hotspots include Kent County with 5.5% of cases, Genesee County with 3.7% of cases, Washtenaw County with 2.5% of cases, Saginaw County with 1.8% of cases, Kalamazoo with 1.4% of cases and Ingham County with 1.3% of cases statewide. Additionally, about 4.4% of cases, or 2,216 cases (and 56 deaths) have also been reported among state prisoners at the Michigan Department of Corrections. 

Caucasians account for 36% of cases and 50% of deaths reported in Michigan. Despite accounting for a substantially smaller segment of the statewide population, African Americans account for 32% of cases and 40% of coronavirus-related deaths reported across Michigan. 

U.S.                  

Cases — 1,456,029 

Deaths — 88,211 

Fatality Rate — 6.1% 

Source: CNN           

Michigan reports the seventh most cases of any state in the country, behind only New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Michigan ranks fourth in the country in virus-related deaths, behind only New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.