Michigan jumps to nearly 8,000 coronavirus cases with concentration in Detroit area

Michigan’s total confirmed coronavirus cases has jumped to 7,615 after the state counted 1,117 new cases on Tuesday.

Michigan reported 75 additional deaths Tuesday, bringing the total fatalities to 259, according to the state’s daily updates. Confirmed cases have nearly quadrupled from a week ago, when Michigan had 1,791 cases and 24 deaths.

The virus has been confirmed in 67 of the state’s 83 counties, with about 81 percent of cases in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, according to MLive. Metro Detroit has been a concentration area for the virus due to factors including population density, community spread and more aggressive testing. The three counties comprise about 39 percent of Michigan’s population.

Of the current cases, 2,080 live within the city, whereas 1,655 live elsewhere in Wayne County, 1,591 live in Oakland County and 853 live in Macomb County. Nineteen counties have seen at least one death from the virus but the vast majority of deaths — 88 percent — have been in one of the three Detroit metro area counties.

Deborah Birx, a physician and White House coronavirus response coordinator, has called Wayne County a potential emerging hotspot.

Monday marked a week since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issued a statewide stay-at-home order asking residents to remain inside except for essential businesses. She has also ordered the closure of restaurants, bars and schools.

Whitmer warned on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the state would be “in dire straits again in a matter of days,” despite a recent shipment of N95 masks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We’re keeping up the pressure and working 24/7 at the state level and grateful that there are people who are doing that at the federal level as well,” Whitmer said Sunday. “But this is not something that we should be fighting each other on. It should be everyone fighting COVID-19, everyone versus COVID-19.”

On Sunday, state Rep. Isaac Robinson (D) died of a suspected coronavirus infection. He is believed to be the first state or national lawmaker to succumb to the virus.