- October 19, 2021
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A sign for "Rapid COVID testing parking" outside of the Student Recreation Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.Joel Bissell | MLive.com
Michigan health officials identified 191 new COVID-19 outbreaks last week, which was up nearly 19% from the previous week.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services’ weekly outbreaks report noted 593 ongoing outbreaks as of Monday, Oct. 18. That’s a cumulative total of 784 outbreaks — an increase of 3.4% from last Monday.
More than half of the new outbreaks were linked to K-12 schools (101), while 34 were reported by long-term care facilities, 15 were tied to childcare programs, and 11 were associated with manufacturing/construction settings.
Some settings, like nursing homes and youth programs, are easier to track outbreaks due to testing requirements. Others like social gatherings, bars and restaurants are more challenging. Thus, the state warns that its outbreak total is likely an undercount.
Throughout the pandemic, an outbreak has generally been defined as an instance in which two or more cases are linked by a place and time, indicating a shared exposure outside of a household. However, Michigan recently changed that definition to “three or more cases” when referring to schools, in an effort to “promote consistent reporting amongst states.”
Below is an interactive map of active COVID outbreaks noted in the Oct. 18 school outbreaks report. Hover over a colored dot to see the school and how many cases were linked to the given outbreak.
Can’t see the map? Click here
Outside of K-12 schools and colleges, MDHHS is not identifying specific locations or the number of coronavirus cases. However, it is listing the information by the state’s eight health district regions. (Note those regions have different numbers than the MI Safe Start Plan.)
By region, the breakdown of the clusters:
By category, the outbreaks totaled:
Outbreaks will be removed from the database if there are no additional cases through a 14-day period, state MDHHS officials have said.
State officials note that the chart does not provide a complete picture of outbreaks in Michigan, and an absence of identified outbreak in a particular setting is not evidence that the setting is not having outbreaks.
“Many factors, including the lack of ability to conduct effective contact tracing in certain settings, may result in significant under-reporting of outbreaks,” the state’s website reads.
For more statewide data, visit MLive’s coronavirus data page, here.
To find a testing site near you, check out the state’s online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Read more on MLive:
Look up 2020 non-COVID vaccination rates for Michigan schools, day care centers
Michigan COVID-19 caseload is 3 times higher than this time last year. Why? And does anybody care?
Schools that require students to wear masks report fewer COVID-19 cases, U-M study finds
Second-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine recommended by FDA’s advisory committee
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