Governor Gretchen Whitmer says Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers have taken a turn for the worse.
“This is the moment that medical experts have been warning us about, and dreading, since the beginning of this pandemic,” she said during an online news conference.
Whitmer’s chief medical executive, Doctor Joneigh Khaldun, said Thursday Michigan is at its worst point since the start of the pandemic.
“Things are looking very grim with COVID-19 in our state right now,” she said. “Today, we are announcing a total of 236,225 cases, and 7,811 deaths due to COVID-19 in Michigan.”
Whitmer said Michigan’s COVID-19 case rate is the worst it’s been since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Our case numbers are skyrocketing here in Michigan,” she said. “The curve that we had flattened, right now this curve is a straight line, and is straight up.”
Whitmer did not announce any new emergency orders to stop public gatherings. That’s after losing a court battle with Republicans over her use of emergency powers.
But she warned the trajectory is for the death and illness rates to get worse “…and unless we get our act together right now, we could be hitting our daily peak of deaths in Michigan come Christmas.”
Whitmer said people should cancel holiday plans for indoor get-togethers with people who live in other households. She also said there are other public health mask and distancing orders that remain in effect.
