3/26/21: New infection number highest since December

Michigan: The state broke a record for the highest number of new infections this year for the second day in a row on Thursday.

State health officials reported 5,224 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. That’s the highest single-day total since December 10. The seven day moving average rose to 3,493 new cases per day, which is also the highest it has been this year.

State officials reported 49 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, of which 30 came from a review of previous death records. That actually caused the seven day average to increase by three to just over 21 deaths per day. Death numbers have been staying stable or declining despite the surge of new cases over the past few weeks.

Hospitalizations rose by more than 100 on Thursday. The state reported 1,858 patients being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in the state. Hospitalizations have more than doubled since the beginning of the month.

Kalamazoo County: Infection numbers are increasing in Kalamazoo as well.

County officials reported 53 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday. That caused the county’s seven day average to rise to more than 77 new cases per day.

At the same time, deaths have stayed the same. No new deaths were reported on Thursday, and only four people have died from the coronavirus during the month of March.

Hospitalizations are increasing in the county. Bronson Methodist Hospital reported it was treating 27 patients for COVID-19 on Thursday. That’s six more patients than the previous day. Kalamazoo’s other hospital doesn’t publicly report its patient numbers, but recent state data suggests patient counts have been rising there as well.

Vaccines: State officials have confirmed that 145 Michiganders have contracted COVID-19 even after having been fully vaccinated against the virus. That’s less than 0.01% of all the people who have been vaccinated in the state, but still worrisome because it suggests that not every vaccinated person is immune to the virus.

Research has shown that even when the vaccine doesn’t prevent infections with COVID-19, it can still reduce the severity of the disease.

As of Wednesday, more than 17% of adults in Michigan had been fully vaccinated, with another 1.1 million residents having received their first dose of one of the two-dose vaccines.

In Kalamazoo County, 20.5% of adults have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus, with more than 33,000 residents having received their first doses.