5/21/21: Kalamazoo nears 20K COVID infections

Kalamazoo County: As of Thursday, 19,957 people in Kalamazoo County have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began. However, as we approach the 20K mark the decline in new cases shows no signs of reversing.

County health officials reported just 27 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday – the lowest one-day total in more than a month. That brought the average down to nearly 39 new cases per day over the previous week.

The county did not report any new deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the seven day average down to one death per day.

Hospitalizations are slowly coming down in Kalamazoo County. On Thursday, the county’s two hospitals reported a combined 65 COVID-19 patients. That’s three fewer than on Monday and nine fewer than a week ago.

Despite the declining numbers, both hospitals remain near capacity, with Bronson Methodist Hospital operating at 94% capacity and Ascension Borgess Hospital at 95%.

Michigan: The state’s daily average of coronavirus deaths is falling a lot more quickly than new infections.

On Thursday, state health officials reported 74 new deaths, with 61 coming from a review of previous death records. That brought the seven day average below 50 deaths per day for the first time in a month.

The state also reported 1,372 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The average fell to 1,355 new cases per day over the past week.

Hospitalizations dropped slightly on Thursday. The state reported that 1,665 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in the state – just 43 fewer than on Wednesday.