Michigan COVID infections hit highest rate since April

State health officials reported 1,522 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. That pushed the state’s seven day moving average to 1,020 new infections per day – the highest it has been since mid-April when Michigan was still in the early days of the pandemic.

The high number of new infections comes at a precarious point in the pandemic. In-person classes at many K-12 schools and universities are leading to new outbreaks across the state. Health experts are warning of a potential second wave of the virus. And the governor’s powers to slow the spread are in jeopardy.

Unlike the early days of the pandemic, rising cases counts aren’t concentrated in urban areas in the southeast corner of the state. Instead they’re spread across the state. Infection rates in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties have been increasing over the past few weeks at a worrying rate.

Rural areas in the western half of the Upper Peninsula are being especially hard-hit right now with infections stemming from vacationers and students. The U.P. reported 126 new infections on Saturday – a high rate of infection for an area with low population.