Michigan identified 238 new coronavirus infections Saturday in 17 counties, bringing the state’s total to 787.
The positive cases continue to soar as more testing is done. For the third straight day, more than 200 new cases were reported.
The state’s death toll rose to five.
In Wayne County, 133 new positive cases were reported Saturday, bringing the new total to 349. A vast majority of those cases are in Detroit, which now has 248 confirmed infections, with 99 new cases reported Saturday.
Oakland County’s new positive cases soared by 45, bringing its total 229. And in Macomb County, the number of confirmed infections rose by 15 to 101.
Other counties with new cases were Barry (1), Berrien (2), Calhoun (1), Clare (1), Clinton (1), Genesee (6), Ingham (4), Kent (9), Livingston (3), Ottawa (1), Saginaw (1), Tuscola (1), Washtenaw (13), and Wexford (1). In all, 28 of the state's 83 counties have at least one positive case.
With a severe testing shortage nationwide, Columbia University researchers estimate there are 11 undetected cases for every confirmed case. In Michigan, that would mean more than 8,000 total cases. The researchers also estimate that two-thirds of the nation’s 330 million residents could become infected unless “severe control measures,” such as a stay-at-home orders for all non-essential travel, are adhered to. In metro Detroit, that translates to more than 2.5 million people.
New York, California, and Illinois have issued state-at-home orders. On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she may issue a similar order in the near future, saying “things are changing so rapidly we are continuing to reassess.”
“The most important thing is the health of our people,” Whitmer said Friday. "Every decision we make has ramifications. They weigh heavily on me and my team."
As of Friday, public and private labs and hospitals in Michigan performed more than 2,600 tests. Earlier in the week, Henry Ford, Beaumont health systems, and other private labs began testing.
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