DETROIT – The state of Michigan’s COVID-19 confirmed case numbers hit a major milestone Friday, breaking 100,000 confirmed cases across the state.
While that sounds disconcerting, as things have progressed, it may not be as terrible as it sounds.
RELATED: What Gov. Whitmer said about Michigan surpassing 100,000 coronavirus (COVID-19) cases
Coronavirus is deadly, but as time goes, medical experts believe there are encouraging things to take away from the fight against COVID-19.
As of Aug. 28, 2020, Michigan has 100,699 confirmed cases. The state also lists probably cases at 10,385, bringing Michigan’s total to just over 111,000 cases. The confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the state is 6,446 with 266 probable deaths, being about 6% of all cases.
“I think that it’s very good we are increasing in numbers because we know that there are cases around,” said University of Michigan Epidemiologist Dr. Arnold Monto. “If our case numbers were not increasing, it would tell me we’re not testing.”
The state reported more than 2.6 million tests, with the state population at just under 10 million, it accounts for about 26% of the population, although some people have had multiple tests.
Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge said the 100,000 count isn’t as frightening as it sounds.
“100,000 cases is an important benchmark because it does show how real and broad the pandemic is, but beyond being a sad statistic, it doesn’t mean as much to me as cases per million population,” McGeorge said. “Looking at it that way, Michigan is actually below the national average, and even with 100,000 total cases, there are at least 30 other states with more cases per capita.”
A vaccine could do slow the growth and save people, or, as in 2003 with SARS, the virus just disappeared. Monto said we can hope for that, but it’s not likely, considering it’s stayed active for the last six months.
- View more: Michigan COVID-19 data