Michigan coronavirus cases, deaths rise again but slowly

DETROIT (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases in Michigan again rose slowly and was just slightly ahead of the previous day’s figure, the state health department reported Saturday.

Meanwhile, deaths attributed to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, grew by 81, or 3%, to 2,308, but were down from the number of new deaths reported Friday.

Hospitals and public officials have been encouraged by the trend in Michigan, although stay-at-home orders and business restrictions remain in place. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said some rules could change on May 1.

The state reported 30,791 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, up 768, or 2%, over Friday. The health department said at least 3,237 people have recovered since March, a statistic that is reported each Saturday.

Henry Ford Health System in southeastern Michigan said it had 567 COVID-19 patients at its hospitals, down 12 percent from a week ago.

At least 17 people in Michigan prisons have died, including a 60-year-old man who was close to being released on parole. William Garrison had spent nearly 44 years in prison for murder.

In Lansing, Gier Community Center was filled with 49 beds to help the homeless. The goal is to provide necessities and give people a place to be safe while virus restrictions are in place. Coffee shops and libraries aren’t available to them.

“It’s overwhelming,” Mark Korkoskie, who has been homeless since August, told the Lansing State Journal about his bed. “But in a good way, not a bad way.”