2/23/21: New infections rise in state and county

Michigan: New infections rose slightly in Michigan on Tuesday.

State health officials reported 1,316 new cases of COVID-19. That caused the seven day moving average to rise to 922 new cases per day. That’s the highest it’s been since before Valentine’s Day.

The state also reported 34 new deaths from the coronavirus, with 18 of them coming after a review of previous death records. The state is averaging about 31 deaths per day over the past week – slightly higher than on Monday.

Hospitalizations also rose slightly on Tuesday. The state reported 891 people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals across the state. That’s 50 more than on Monday.

Kalamazoo County: New infections rose in the county as well.

County officials reported 42 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. That caused the average to increase to 25 new cases per day over the previous week. The county reported no new deaths and that average remained stable at 0.43 deaths per day.

Vaccines: The state reported an influx of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday. Nearly 144,000 doses were reported to have been delivered to facilities throughout the state.

Kalamazoo County received 3,600 doses of the vaccine, split between the county’s two hospitals and the local health department.

That could lead to a ramping up of vaccination efforts in the county and the state. Health officials have cited a lack of vaccine supply as the reason people aren’t being vaccinated more quickly.