Michigan: Travelers in Michigan will have more access to COVID-19 testing.
State leaders are implementing rapid COVID-19 antigen testing at some of the busiest travel stops in the state. That includes airports and welcome centers. The tests promise to offer results – sent to the traveler by text or email – in as little as 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, the state’s new infection numbers continued to decline on Thursday.
State health officials reported 4,867 new cases of the coronavirus, causing the seven day average to decline to 5,538 new cases per day. The average has been dropping steadily for more than a week now.
The state’s COVID-19 death average dropped slightly on Thursday. Officials reported 108 new deaths, with 75 coming from a review of previous records. That caused the average to decline by less than one to 58.3 deaths per day over the past week.
Michigan’s positivity rate continued to decline for the second week in a row. Just over 12% of COVID-19 tests conducted in the state returned positive results on Wednesday. It’s still a high number, but virus transmission seems to be on the downswing.
Hospitalizations declined for the third day in a row after reaching a record high on Monday. The state reported that 3,976 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in the state on Thursday. That’s 177 fewer than the day before.
Kalamazoo County: The average of new cases and deaths is receding in Kalamazoo County as well.
County health officials reported just 72 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday – the lowest single-day total since late March. That caused the seven day average to drop to about 112 new cases per day.
The county reported no new deaths on Thursday, reducing the average to 0.7 deaths per day over the past week.
The county’s positivity rate has been on the decline for nearly two weeks now. In the latest report, 12.25% of tests conducted in the county on Wednesday returned positive results. The week average is now 13.14%. That’s down from a high of 17.5% on April 11.
Independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy. Make a donation today.
Thank you to the community institutions that support our work:
