Michigan reports 2,527 new COVID-19 cases, 126 deaths

By: Ken Coleman - May 4, 2021 4:18 pm

Willette Shaw, a 67-year-old African-American Highland Park resident, receives a COVID-19 vaccination. | Ken Coleman

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Tuesday that a total of 851,947 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17,897 have died from the virus — an additional 2,527 cases and 126 deaths since Monday.

The report includes 51 deaths identified during a vital records review. DHHS also reports that an additional 96,905 Michiganders have been identified as “probable” cases for COVID-19, as well as 1,158 probable deaths. The department began tracking probable cases on April 5.

Combining the state’s confirmed positive cases with probable cases brings the total up to 948,852 statewide cases and 19,055 deaths. The virus has been detected in all of Michigan’s 83 counties. The state’s COVID-19 fatality rate is currently at 2.1%.

The first two cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state on March 10, 2020. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency that day.

Johns Hopkins University reports that there are more than 153.7 million confirmed cases worldwide and 3.2 million deaths. The United States makes up a significant portion of those, as more than 32.4 million confirmed cases and 577,845 deaths have been recorded nationally.

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Ken Coleman

Ken Coleman writes about Southeast Michigan, history and civil rights. He is a former Michigan Chronicle senior editor and served as the American Black Journal segment host on Detroit Public Television. He has written and published four books on Black life in Detroit.