This state now has 5,468 diagnosed cases of the expanding COVID respiratory plague, which has killed 132 Michiganians by latest count Sunday.
Nearly half of the patients are from Wayne County, including 1,542 Detroiters.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lists 836 new patients in the past day and 21 more fatalities.
(Gaphic: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)
The new number of confirmed cases is 18% higher than Saturday, and deaths rose by 21.
A bit of encouraging news is in those grim statistics. The rate of growth of new cases appears to be slowing.
On the previous two days, the pace of increase was 28% (Thursday to Friday) and 27% (Friday to Saturday). Last Thursday, the number of new diagnoses was 24% higher than the day before. So Sunday's 18% figure may reflect a turnaround.
Cumulative diagnosis numbers show Metro Detroit remains an epicenter of the disease caused by coronavirus:
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54% (2,952) of Michigan cases are in the three-county region
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49.4% (2,704) of Michigan patients are from Detroit and other Wayne County communities
Here's how confirmed deaths break down locally:
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Detroit: 35
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Oakland: 34
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Wayne: 21
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Macomb: 20
Those 110 metro area fatalities are 83.3% of the state total.
The state says 15,282 COVID tests have been performed, with 3,720 (24.3%) turning out to be positive.
WMU student from Detroit dies
A Detroit student who first showed symptoms of coronavirus in West Michigan was refused testing, and later died of COVID-19 in Royal Oak, his sister said.
The Detroit News reports Bassey Offiong, 25, was on track to graduate this spring with a degree in chemical engineering:
His sister, Asari Offiong, said her brother told her he was turned down several times for the coronavirus test in the Kalamazoo area while living off-campus despite having fever, fatigue and shortness of breath.
"I told him to ask them to test him," Offiong said. "He said they refused to test him."
He was hospitalized at Beaumont in Royal Oak and spent the last week on a ventilator in their intensive care unit. She called her "baby brother" sweet and humble and a "gentle giant." She last saw him a week ago.
Basic hygiene access is assured -- now
Detroit gained international infamy some years back when its water department began shutting off service to households for non-payment. But in truth, impoverished households all over Michigan make do without water service. And with handwashing a baseline hygiene practice to prevent the spread of coronavirus, lacking half of what's required to do so is a major handicap.
On Saturday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered shut-off water accounts to be restored statewide. The order includes $2 million for a grant program for communities to get the work started:
From WXYZ:
“This is a critical step both for the health of families living without a reliable water source, and for slowing the spread of the Coronavirus,” Whitmer said in a release. “We continue to work to provide all Michiganders – regardless of their geography or income level – the tools they need to keep themselves and their communities protected.”
The order will remain in effect throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and does not absolve anyone from past-due bills.
Casinos halt payrolls April 1
It's like a nasty April Fool's Day prank that's stone-cold real. Paychecks end in three days for Detroit casino workers, who'll still get benefits through June, The Detroit News posts.
The city's three gambling giants extend their shutdowns through April 13, at minimum, but had pledged to pay thousands of employees only through March.
We the socially distanced people
So here's a scary thought for a month's worth of scary ones: What if ... this goes on for a while? Or re-emerges, well into the fall? Right around election time? How will we elect the next president?
The Freep editorial board has a plan for that.
In its Sunday piece, the paper lays out a comprehensive set of suggestions on "How to inoculate democracy against a pandemic," or how government can continue to function in an extended period of social distancing and emergency economic conditions:
It's critical that elected officials enjoy the flexibility they need to protect public safety, and their own well-being, under extraordinary circumstances. So the steps Whitmer has taken to facilitate electronic communication and remote conferencing make good sense.
At the same time, it has never been more important for every level of government to cultivate the trust of ordinary citizens — and to maintain that trust, elected officials must not allow neglect the mechanisms that provide some measure of transparency and accountability.
The editorial covers Congress, state and local lawmakers and election policy.
Deaths include 2 Dearborn auto workers
Two Ford Motor Co. employees are among the state's 111 confirmed COVID fatalities. One worked at the Dearborn Stamping Plant and the other was a skilled trades employee at the Ford Data Center, the United Auto Works said Saturday.
"It is a tragic reminder that the coronavirus crisis is everywhere and requires the attention of all of us," says a company statement quoted by Crain's.
They're the first Ford employees known to have died from the virus. Five Fiat Chrysler Automobiles employees have died.
160 more military responders from state
Medical Command unit member in Lansing works this week with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. (Photo: Facebook/Michigan National Guard)
About 160 members of a National Guard military police unit based in Lansing are activated to help FEMA in Michigan and other states with communication, transportation, logistics and planning support as fedferal agencies respond to the health emergency.
Those members of the 46th Military Police Command are in addition to about 140 members of another unit called to active service this past week in Michigan.
"This is an opportuniuty for the men and women of the Michigan National Guard to show what Michigan brings to the table in times of homeland emergencies," Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers says in a statement.
