LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer provided an update Wednesday on the handling of COVID-19 in Michigan.
She talked about the possibility of reopening more of the state in the coming days, the spread of the COVID-19 B117 variant and a return to in-person learning statewide.
Whitmer was also asked about the state’s quiet extension of the current COVID order, and why there wasn’t a bigger announcement.
READ: 12 takeaways from Whitmer’s Feb. 24 COVID briefing
The governor was joined by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
You can watch the full replay of the briefing in the video above.
Khaldun reported positive trends for all of Michigan’s COVID-19 metrics, including a decrease in case rate, percent positivity and hospitalization rate.
On Wednesday, Michigan reported 1,245 new COVID cases and nine additional deaths, marking the second-straight single-day total over 1,000. Overall, the state has confirmed 583,964 COVID cases and 15,405 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.