2/1/21: Michigan passes 1M vaccines

Vaccines: As of Sunday, more than 1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Michigan, with more than 200,000 people receiving both required doses.

During a light vaccination day on Sunday, health workers in Michigan administered more than 4,000 shots to other health workers, nursing home staff and residents, and people age 65 and older to bring the grand total since vaccinations began to 1,001,873 doses.

It’s a significant milestone, but Michigan still has a long way to go to get vaccines to 90% of the population.

For the week ending Sunday, Michigan is averaging about 36,000 vaccinations per day. That’s far short of the 50,000 per day the governor is shooting for.

Vaccinations are moving along in Kalamazoo County as well. As of Sunday, 31,461 doses of vaccine have been given, with more than 7,000 people receiving both doses. County facilities are averaging 1,154 shots per day over the week ending Sunday.

Michigan: New infections and deaths from the coronavirus are continuing to drop.

State health officials reported 2,066 new cases of COVID-19 over the course of Sunday and Monday. That brought the seven day moving average down to 1,461 new cases per day.

The state reported just 8 deaths over the course of Sunday and Monday. That’s the third and fourth single digit death counts in the past week and the first time the numbers have been so low since the beginning of November.

Hospitalizations also continue to drop. On Monday, 1,409 people were being treated for COVID-19 in Michigan hospitals. That’s 70 fewer than on Friday.

Kalamazoo County: Like the state overall, new infections, deaths, and hospitalizations are declining in Kalamazoo County.

County officials reported 68 new cases of COVID-19 over the course of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. That brought the seven day average down to 35 new cases per day. The average is about four less than it was on Friday.

The county reported three new deaths from the coronavirus over the weekend. The county’s average dropped below two deaths per day for the week ending Monday. That’s a promising sign, but deaths in Kalamazoo have vacillated between a record high 3.93 deaths per day and a low of less than one death per day just in the past month.

The county’s two hospitals continue to show declining patient counts and improving capacity.

Bronson Medical Center on Monday reported just 11 COVID-19 patients and a capacity of 88%. Ascension Borgess Hospital reported 23 coronavirus patients on Monday, which is slightly higher than a week ago. It is still operating at 80% capacity.