10/4/20: 780 new COVID cases Friday, 1,158 Saturday

State health officials reported 780 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and another 1,158 on Saturday. That brings the seven day moving average to 870 new cases per day, the highest average case count since it hit 925 on August 28.

The state also reported seven new deaths from the virus on Friday and 13 on Saturday. Eleven of Saturday’s deaths came after a review of previous death records. The state is still averaging 11 new deaths per day.

Kalamazoo County reported 93 new confirmed infections over the course of Friday and Saturday. There were an additional 31 probable cases as a result of antibody testing.

Kalamazoo County is still coded “orange” according to a metric developed by the Harvard Global Health Institute indicating an accelerated spread of the virus. Kalamazoo County is experiencing rougly 17 new cases per day per 100,000 people, the second highest rate of infection in the lower peninsula.

Western Michigan University reported 66 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. Those positive test results come from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week. The university is averaging about 23 new cases per day with a positivity rate of between 10% and 19%.

The western part of the state’s upper peninsula is still experiencing a surge of new cases. Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday took the extraordinary step of dialing up COVID restrictions on the area. That came on the same day the state Supreme Court struck down the governor’s emergency powers leading to uncertainty over the new regulations.