OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Speaking at a press conference Saturday Oakland County Executive David Coulter ordered the closure of all playground equipment and malls to stop the spread of coronavirus.
County officials are also asking for help gathering medical equipment and supplies to help safeguard healthcare workers from the virus.
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The number of virus cases in Oakland County jumped from 202 Friday to 229 Saturday morning, according to Coulter.
He also added that as of Saturday morning 42 people were hospitalized. The ages of people with the virus in Oakland County range from 7 months to 92-years-old.
Coulter says the average age of people in the county with the virus is 54 and the median age is 27.
Officials announced Friday that an Oakland County resident had died due to coronavirus, bringing the state total to four.
“This is a serious virus. It is in every community in this county,” said Coulter. He believes the county’s hospital system will be overwhelmed soon.
Michigan reported more coronavirus (COVID-19) cases on Friday (March 20) afternoon, pushing the state reported total to 549.
The new cases announced by Coulter’s office bring the state total to 576 as of Saturday afternoon.
Previously, officials said there had been three deaths due to coronavirus in Michigan. Two people were Detroit residents and another was a resident of Wayne County.
The first confirmed coronavirus-related death was reported Wednesday at Beaumont Hospital in Wayne County. Officials said the man was in his 50s and had other underlying medical conditions. He was a Southgate resident, according to Mayor Joseph Kuspa.
The second coronavirus death was confirmed by officials with Henry Ford Health System. Health officials said the woman was 81 years old.
Just minutes after the state’s second coronavirus-related death was confirmed, health officials reported the third death. A woman at McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac became the third confirmed death in the state, officials said. She was in her 50s and had underlying health conditions prior to contracting the virus, according to hospital officials.