Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Aug. 6, 2020

657 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday in Michigan

Michigan COVID-19 data through Aug. 5, 2020. (WDIV)

DETROIT – Here’s everything you should know about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Michigan.

‘We are seeing a plateau of cases’

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The number of new daily coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Michigan is starting to plateau, and there are some positive trends in seven of the eight geographical regions, the state’s top health official said.

“We are seeing a plateau of cases,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said Wednesday during a press briefing with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

READ: Gov. Whitmer ‘trying to avoid’ moving Michigan back a phase in COVID-19 reopening plan

Khaldun said the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo regions are still seeing over 40 cases per million people per day, but there has been a steady decrease in those regions over the last two or three weeks.

Michigan teachers to protest return-to-school in Lansing

Michigan’s largest teacher union is holding a rally in Lansing on Thursday to protest the state’s return-to-school plan amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Michigan Caucus Of Rank-and-File Educators (MI CORE) will host the rally at the Capitol from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring several educators speaking at the event. The rally is “to call attention to the danger of schools physically reopening and demand more funding to protect school communities.”

The group says social distancing and mask use is mandatory for the event. More on why they’re rallying, from MI Core.

Michigan COVID-19 orders enforcement

Whitmer is working to make sure her executive orders issued in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are being enforced.

On Tuesday, Whitmer signed Executive Directive 2020-08 to “direct state departments and autonomous agency heads to review allocation of their resources to ensure that enforcement of COVID-19-related laws is a priority,” reads a statement from her office. That includes enforcing limitations on capacity and the requirement to wear a mask when entering a Michigan business.

Read more here.

Michigan’s case count

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 84,707 as of Wednesday, including 6,221 deaths, state officials report.

Michigan officials reported 657 new confirmed cases and two additional deaths. Tuesday’s update brought the state totals to 84,050 overall cases and 6,219 deaths.

New cases have plateaued in the last two weeks, while deaths remain flat in Michigan. Testing has remained steady, with an average of more than 25,000 per day, with the positive rate between 3 and 4 percent. Hospitalizations have increased slightly, but remain considerably lower than in April.

Michigan has reported 60,022 recoveries. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 18,400 as of Wednesday. Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 648 on Wednesday, the highest since May.

Beyond Michigan

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.4 million have recovered in the U.S., with more than 4.6 million cases reported across the country. More than 154,000 have died in the U.S.

Worldwide, more than 18.1 million people have been confirmed infected and over 690,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.

Detroit Tigers series postponed

The upcoming four-game series between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals has been postponed due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases in the Cardinals organization.

Officials confirmed Monday that 13 members of the Cardinals organization -- seven players and six staff members -- tested positive for the virus.

The Tigers’ next scheduled series is in Pittsburgh for three games against the Pirates Friday through Sunday.

COVID-19 creates spike in absentee ballot requests

The large number of absentee voters could cause delayed results for the Michigan Primary Election.

While absentee ballots have been an option for years, the pandemic has created a major spike in requests.

READ: Michigan Secretary of State addresses concerns ahead of primary election

In Michigan, there are roughly 7.7 million registered voters. There were more than 2 million requests for absentee ballots for this primary, and 1.2 million have been returned so far.

Officials with the Michigan Secretary of State said residents should expected a delay in getting results -- possibly Wednesday or Thursday.

Motor City Casino reopens

The Motor City Casino in Detroit reopened Wednesday, and it looks very different because of the ongoing pandemic.

Detroit’s casinos are limited to 15% capacity when they reopen, which equates to about 1,600 people at a time for Motor City Casino.

It will officially reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.

The entry process will start in your vehicle, and it could end there, too. Expect to have your temperature taken and to answer questions about symptoms and exposure. Anyone who has symptoms or has been exposed will be asked to leave.

As for the games, every other slot machine will be closed. Table games will be cut from six positions to three.


Coronavirus headlines:


Michigan COVID-19 daily reported cases since July 20:

  • July 20 -- 489 new cases
  • July 21 -- 573 new cases
  • July 22 -- 523 new cases
  • July 23 -- 699 new cases
  • July 24 -- 594 new cases
  • July 25 -- 437 new cases
  • July 26 -- 1,041* (cases higher due to technical glitch)
  • July 27 -- 488 new cases
  • July 28 -- 669 new cases
  • July 29 -- 996* (cases higher due to backlog of test results)
  • July 30 -- 715 new cases
  • July 31 -- 734 new cases
  • Aug. 1 -- 735 new cases
  • Aug. 2 -- 426 new cases
  • Aug. 3 -- 604 new cases
  • Aug. 4 -- 664 new cases
  • Aug. 5 -- 657 new cases

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported deaths since July 20:

  • July 20 -- 7 new deaths
  • July 21 -- 9 new deaths
  • July 22 -- 6 new deaths
  • July 23 -- 7 new deaths
  • July 24 -- 3 new deaths
  • July 25 -- 14 new deaths
  • July 26 -- 0 new deaths
  • July 27 -- 5 new deaths
  • July 28 -- 16 new deaths
  • July 29 -- 2 new deaths
  • July 30 -- 19 new deaths (14 of which are from vital records)
  • July 31 -- 8 new deaths
  • Aug. 1 -- 7 new deaths
  • Aug. 2 -- 0 new deaths
  • Aug. 3 -- 6 new deaths
  • Aug. 4 -- 7 new deaths (5 of which are from vital records)
  • Aug. 5 -- 2 new deaths

Coronavirus resources:


Here is the moving 7-day average of COVID-19 cases in Michigan:


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About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.