Michigan Reports 571 New Cases on Sept. 15

Michigan reported 571 new COVID cases on Sept. 15, 2020, bringing the total number of cases Michigan reported to 113,183. In Chart 1 we show that the State total for the number of COVID cases on Sept. 13 was 111,935–a five-day rolling average. The five-day rolling average for the total number of COVID cases (Chart 1) reflects a smoother curve and adjusts for fluctuations in testing and/or the quality of reporting or failure to report.

Chart 2 shows that, based on the five-day rolling averages, the growth of new COVID cases in Southeastern Michigan continues to increase. The chart also shows that the growth of COVID cases in Detroit continues to flatten compared to the growth of cases in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. On Sept. 13, Wayne County reported the highest number of cases in the region at 17,307. Oakland County reported 15,665 cases and Macomb County reported 13,261. Detroit reported 14,049 COVID cases on Sept. 13. While Detroit reported more overall cases than Macomb County the chart does show Macomb County’s case numbers growing at a faster rate than the City’s.

In addition to having the highest number of total COVID cases Wayne County in the region, Charts 3 and 3.1 (which is just a closer look at the data) shows that it also had the highest number of daily cases on Sept. 13. Wayne County reported 33 new cases on Sept. 13. Oakland County reported 25 new daily cases, Macomb County reported 14 and Detroit reported 14 new cases, according to the five-day rolling averages.

The daily data highlighted in these posts is from Michigan.gov/coronavirus, where data is updated daily at 3 p.m. Historical data were supplied from covidtracking.com, which republishes COVID data from the State. Additionally, the case totals do not reflect the number of people who have recovered, just those who have been infected. In early June the State changed how it reports its data on the website, making data more accurate in the long-term but more complicated to track as well. The State regularly updates older data and as we continue to publish regular updates on COVID the State’s changes to past data many not always be reflected in our posts. The data published in new posts is accurate for the day we received it on though.

The map below highlights the average number of new daily COVID cases between Sept. 3 and Sept. 10 for the City of Detroit and the seven counties in Southeastern Michigan. As reflective of the data discussed above, Wayne County had the highest average number of new daily cases at 154, followed by Oakland County with an average of 116 new daily COVID cases last week and Macomb County with an average of 87 new daily cases. The average numbers reported last week are more than triple of what is being reported for these counties on Sept. 13. In Detroit there was an average of 35 new cases per day last week; this is also above the new number of cases reported for Detroit on Sept. 13 (five-day-rolling average).

It should be noted that the State of Michigan regularly updates its daily COVID database, causing some large jumps in reported case numbers day-to-day; this may be impact the averages.

In Chart 4, the five-day rolling average for the number of deaths in Michigan, shows the number of deaths in the State of Michigan reached 6,595 on Sept. 13. The actual cumulative COVID-19 deaths on Sept. 15 was 6,612, an increase of 11 deaths from the prior day.  However, of those 11 deaths, 5 were added to the daily total after death certificates were compared to the COVID database.

Chart 5 (a 5-day rolling average) further hones in on how majority the number of COVID related deaths has significantly flattened out in Southeastern Michigan. On Sept. 13, the City of Detroit reported 1,513 deaths. Wayne County had the second highest total at 1,259 deaths on Sept. 13.

Charts 6 and Chart 6.1 shows how on Sept. 1 Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties each reported 1 new death.

The map below shows the average number of daily COVID deaths between Sept. 3 and Sept. 10. These numbers are similar to what was reported on Sept. 13 (five-day-rolling average) in the region and further highlighst how the number of daily COVID deaths in Southeastern Michigan has remained fairly stagnant. Oakland County reported the highest average number of daily COVID deaths last week at 2.6; Wayne County reported 2 and Macomb County reported 1.8. The City of Detroit reported an average of 0.4 daily COVID deaths between Sept.3-10. 

We continue to battle the coronavirus and as students head back to school, both at the K-12 and college levels, it is likely daily numbers will see, at least, intermittent spikes. Certain universities throughout the State are already reporting outbreaks and data from the State shows that those between the ages of 20-29 continue to be the most common carriers of the disease. At one point, early on in the pandemic, we “celebrated” new daily case numbers being reported at 600 or less. However, as this seems to be becoming the new normal we must still be cautious and concerned. COVID is viral and easily transmittable. It is a disease that wreaks havoc on a person’s body and can lead to death. We must not put our guard down. We must fully implement and respect health guidelines. We must continue to consider what this disease can do not only to us individually, but to our family, friends, neighbors and our society-physically, emotionally and economically.

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