COVID Update: Case numbers drop for 2nd week

Kalamazoo County: The number of new COVID-19 infections dropped over the past week in Kalamazoo County, though the cause may not be entirely attributable to lower COVID transmission.

Health officials reported 351 new cases of the coronavirus since Aug. 30. That brought the average down to roughly 50 new cases per day over the past week. That’s a decline from the 67 cases per day counted the previous week.

While that’s undoubtedly good news, not all of the increase may be due to declines in actual infections. Virus testing labs take holidays just like many other businesses, so some COVID testing from the weekend may have been pushed off to this week. That’s what happened around the July 4th holiday, which was followed by resurgence in infection numbers the following week.

Meanwhile, the county reported no COVID-related deaths since last Tuesday.

Michigan: Infections and deaths declined in the state as a whole as well.

State health officials reported 15,854 new cases of the coronavirus over the past week. That averages out to 2,265 new cases per day – down from more than 2,700 new cases per day the previous week.

Death numbers also declined. The state reported just 83 COVID deaths since Aug. 30 – down from 129 deaths the week before.

But it isn't all good news. Even as transmission declined, COVID hospitalizations reached their highest level in more than six months. Hospitals in the state reported on Tuesday they were caring for 1,227 people with COVID-19 infections. That's the highest number since late February.