COVID-19: Zero Deaths, 11 Hospitalizations in Washtenaw County

There were no new COVID-19 deaths in Washtenaw County, but hospitalizations continue at a concerning rate.

11 more county residents were hospitalized, according to data updated today by the Washtenaw County Health Department. That makes 20 over two days, 43 over three days and 77 since last Friday.

A press release issued by Michigan Medicine today said Michigan hospitals were being "hammered" by the surge that started in late March.

“It marked a sudden departure from where we had been,” said Brad Uren, M.D., a physician at Michigan Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine. “Now we need to get this under control because this does have the potential to overwhelm the health care system.”

The COVID patients in Michigan Medicine’s emergency room are younger than in previous waves, in part due to vaccinations being prioritized for older people.

“These are people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s who were not first in line for the vaccine,” he says. “They’re also the people that are generally more mobile, the ones that are out there working and in contact with other people.”

Hospitalizations generally lag behind cases and may continue to surge for two weeks.

The Washtenaw County Health Department counted 171 new positives - a number that's declined since Tuesday. Testing levels remain high. The positive test rate in Washtenaw was 4.26 percent yesterday, according to state data.

In Michigan, the positive test rate fell to 13.70 percent - the lowest number since March 31. Michigan counted 6,303 new cases today, down from 7,955 yesterday. The state counted 112 new COVID-19-related deaths, including 81 identified during a review of vital records.

In Michigan's hospitals, there were 848 COVID-19 patients in critical care beds, down 16 from yesterday. The number of patients receiving treatment with ventilators increased by 26 to 497. There are 50 pediatric patients with COVID-19.

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