Michigan Surpasses 150,000 Coronavirus Cases Wednesday
MICHIGAN — More than 150,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Michigan, state health officials said Wednesday.
The state reported 1,597 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 150,989.
Meanwhile, the deaths of 33 more people have been attributed to COVID-19, increasing the coronavirus death toll in the state to 7,086.
Officials said Saturday that nearly 110,000 Michiganders had recovered from the virus.
The landmark case tally comes as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday urged state residents to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
She also called on federal officials to put aside politics to collaborate in the fight against the coronavirus.
"I've repeatedly called on the federal government to get a bipartisan recovery package that gives support to states for our families and frontline workers and small businesses," Whitmer said during a news conference. "But we have seen the U.S. Senate leadership in Washington prove once again that they're not able to work together."
Read More: Whitmer Asks Michiganders To Wear Masks As Coronavirus Cases Rise
The state also is allowing for indoor visits in residential care facilities under some circumstances, health officials announced Wednesday.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon issued an emergency order updating and further expanding requirements for residential care facilities, while also permitting indoor visitation in residential care facilities in certain circumstances.
"As we grapple with both colder weather and rising cases, our task is to increase access to visitation in ways that do not increase the spread of the virus," Gordon said. "Visitation is a substantial source of risk. This order provides a plan for visitation that mitigates risk and continues necessary protections in facilities across the state."
Read More: Michigan To Allow Some Indoor Nursing Home Visits
Michigan ranks 19th in the U.S. in reported COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization, which factors in probable cases on top of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Michigan is 10th in the nation in reported COVID-19 deaths.
In the U.S., more than 8.5 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported, according to the World Health Organization. Over 226,000 COVID-19 death have been reported in the U.S., while more than 5.5 million COVID-19 recoveries also have been reported in the nation.
According to the World Health Organization, over 41.3 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported worldwide. That number includes more than 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths and over 30.7 million COVID-19 recoveries.
This article originally appeared on the Detroit Patch
