DETROIT – Speaking on Flashpoint Sunday CEO of the Michigan Hospital Association, Brian Peters, warned that if coronavirus cases continue surging Michigan will surpass its record high for inpatient hospitalizations within the weeks ahead.
“Looking very specifically at the number of hospitalizations, we are on pace, if the current trends continue to surpass our all time record high that we achieved earlier in the year in terms of inpatient hospitalizations COVID related within the next several weeks. And so, it is certainly time to ring the alarm bell,” said Peters.
Hospitalizations have increased steadily for the last five weeks, including upticks in critical care and ventilator use.
Wright L. Lassiter III, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System noted that what is different today as opposed to the spring when COVID related hospitalizations reached an all time high is the distribution of cases.
“Southeast Michigan was primarily hit hard and early back in March and April in May and so, you know, it really was the Southeast Michigan hospitals that were bearing the significant brunt of the coronavirus hospitalization challenges. Today you’re seeing a spread across across the state. You’re seeing escalation of cases and positivity rates in Grand Rapids and Lansing in Kalamazoo in the Upper Peninsula. And so that’s different and for us that would tell you that it’s quite different, you know, certainly the volume at this moment is not what it was back at the height of the pandemic in the spring,” he said.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 251,813 as of Saturday, including 7,994 deaths, state officials report.
Saturday’s update represents 7,072 new cases and 65 additional deaths. The deaths announced today include 36 deaths identified during a Vital Records review.
On Friday, Michigan shattered its previous high for single-day COVID-19 cases, with a record breaking 8,516 cases reported.
Additionally, the state reported a total of 138,862 COVID-19 recoveries yesterday.