Michigan passed a grim COVID-19 milestone Friday, Aug 13. The state reports more than 20,000 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also reports the number of confirmed COVID cases is more than 919,000 since early March of last year.
These numbers do not include deaths due to what are considered probable COVID cases.
The daily case count in Michigan has been rising since mid-July after a big decline following the spring surge. That’s despite efforts by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and health officials to encourage more people to get vaccinated. Just under 55 percent of Michigan residents aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated.