State reports 685 new COVID cases, 10 deaths

State health officials reported 685 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. That brings the state’s seven day moving average down to 639 new cases per day.

The state also reported 10 new deaths from the virus, though only one of them was in the past 24 hours. The rest of the reported deaths came as a result of a review of previous vital records.

As usual, a large number of the cases are attributed to the state’s most populous counties: Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties. Other counties are seeing a worrying increase in cases as colleges and universities go back into session.

Few are faring worse than Isabella County, home to Central Michigan University. As of Wednesday, there have been 211 confirmed cases of COVID-19 tied to students returning for classes. That’s increased by 48 from just two days earlier.