What to know today 🌅
3 data points that show Michigan’s 3-week pause is likely to be extended
Last week, Michigan saw a sharp increase in reported deaths in Michigan -- and across the U.S. Record -setting daily deaths with record hospitalizations heading into the holiday -- not where we want to be, obviously.
Michigan’s 3-week pause ends on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., and no extension has been announced -- yet. But looking at the current COVID-19 data, it appears likely that restrictions will be extended in some form. Just look at the data.
Take a look here and read more.
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Jocelyn Benson says armed protesters gathered outside her Detroit home
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says armed protesters were gathered outside of her Detroit home this weekend.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, Michigan State and Detroit police responded to a report of several armed protesters gathered outside of Benson’s home.
On behalf of Benson, department spokesperson Jack Rollow shared a message Sunday regarding the incident -- read it here.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: How the weather helped the Japanese
From Meteorologist Paul Gross:
Monday, Dec. 7, 2020 marks the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I’ve been to the Pearl Harbor memorial, which sits atop the sunken U.S.S. Arizona, one of our battleships sunk in the attack, and where the largest number of lives were lost. I remember walking into that memorial, and started crying when I read name after name on that wall – many of whom were just kids in their early 20s.
Coronavirus in Michigan 🦠
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 395,036 as of Saturday, including 9,854 deaths, state officials report.
Saturday’s update represents 6,004 new cases and 193 additional deaths, including 145 deaths identified during a review of records -- meaning they did not occur between Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the state reported 389,032 total cases and 9,661 deaths.
The state reported a total of 197,750 recoveries on Saturday.
Michigan officials no longer provide an update on statewide coronavirus data on Sundays. The next update is expected Monday afternoon.
New COVID-19 cases are slowing but deaths continue to rise in Michigan. Testing has remained steady, with more than 46,000 diagnostic tests reported per day, but the positive rate has increased to more than 13.4% over the last week. Hospitalizations have increased steadily for the last five weeks, including upticks in critical care and ventilator use.
Respond: Should Michigan extend its COVID restrictions beyond Dec. 8? Why or why not?
Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 6,712 on Thursday, slightly lower than one week ago. The 7-day death average was 102, the highest since April. The state’s fatality rate is 2.4%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 206,000 on Thursday, its highest mark on record.
Here’s a look at more of the data: