5/18/21: Hospitalizations fall below 2K for first time in 2 months

Michigan: For the first time in two months, there are fewer than 2,000 people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in Michigan.

The rate of hospitalization skyrocketed during March and April as the spring surge of the coronavirus raged through Michigan. It has been on the decline for most of the past month. As of Monday, Michigan hospitals were treating just 1,823 COVID patients.

New infection numbers continue to decline in the state. Health officials reported 2,230 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and Monday. That brought the seven day average down to 1,644 new cases per day – the lowest level in two months.

Deaths are also on the decline. The state reported just 20 deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday and Monday. On average, about 55 people died each day in Michigan over the previous week.

The state’s positivity rate hit a new recent low on Sunday. Over the previous week, 6.64% of COVID-19 tests returned positive results. Health experts have often targeted 5% positivity as grounds for optimism. Michigan could reach that level in the next week.

Kalamazoo County: County health officials reported that eight people have died as a result of the coronavirus over the past five days.

Before Monday, the county had not reported COVID-19 metrics since May 12. Despite the high number of deaths, the county’s average dropped to 1.29 deaths per day over the previous week.

New infection numbers are also on the decline. County health officials reported 189 new cases of COVID-19 over the five-day period. That brought the seven day average down to nearly 48 new cases per day – about seven less than last Wednesday.

Kalamazoo County’s positivity rate is also on the decline, but is moving much more slowly than the rest of the state. In the week ending Sunday, 8.12% of COVID-19 tests conducted in the county returned positive results. That’s down from a high of more than 17% just over a month ago.