Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Jan. 6, 2021

4,326 new cases reported Wednesday

Michigan COVID-19 data through Jan. 6, 2021 (WDIV)

DETROIT – The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 508,736 as of Wednesday, including 12,918 deaths, state officials report.

Wednesday’s update includes 4,326 new cases and 51 additional deaths. On Tuesday, the state reported a total of 504,410 cases and 12,867 deaths.

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New COVID-19 cases are slowing but deaths remain high in Michigan. Testing has slowed during the holiday, with more than 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day, with the positive rate increasing to about 9% over the last few days. Hospitalizations have slowly decreased but remain relatively high, including in critical care and ventilator use.

Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 3,087 on Monday, slightly higher than the week before. The 7-day death average was 77. The state’s fatality rate is 2.5%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 126,000 on Monday. More than 363,000 have recovered in Michigan.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 20.8 million cases have been reported in the U.S., with more than 353,900 deaths reported from the virus.

Worldwide, more than 85 million people have been confirmed infected and more than 1.85 million have died. More than 48 million have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.


Coronavirus headlines:


VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 vaccine doses 💉

VIEW: Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools


6 takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID briefing on Jan. 6

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer provided an update Wednesday on COVID-19 in Michigan, talking about whether restrictions will be loosened or strengthened, a concerning trend in the metrics and a new phase of vaccinations.

  • New phase of vaccinations
  • Concerning metrics
  • Michigan goes over 500,000 cases
  • ‘New variant’ of virus
  • Vaccination highlights
  • COVID restrictions

Read in depth here.

Michigan revises COVID-19 order to reopen high schools, some entertainment venues

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state is revising its COVID-19 order to resume in-person high school classes, reopen certain indoor entertainment venues and allow non-contact outdoor sports and fitness classes.

MORE: Here’s everything that’s reopening under Michigan’s revised COVID-19 order

The state is currently under a “pause” that placed stricter COVID-19 regulations on restaurants, schools and more, but that order was scheduled to expire Sunday (Dec. 20).

Now, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued a revised version of the order, which will be in effect until Jan. 15.

Here’s what’s opening and what remains closed under the order.

New tool tells Michigan residents how likely they are to get COVID-19, how severe case could be

A new tool created by Michigan health officials can calculate how likely a person is to get COVID-19 and how serious their infection could be based on their life situation and personal behaviors.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched “CV19 CheckUp” -- a free, anonymous tool that evaluates someone’s risks associated with COVID-19.

Click here to visit the CV19 CheckUp tool online.

“This tool, which we will make available to all Michiganders, helps individuals understand their risk based on their life situation and personal behavior, and offers recommendations to reduce those risks while also connecting people to services if needed,” said Dr. Alexis Travis, senior deputy director of the Aging & Adult Services Agency.

Travis said the tool can be used by all Michigan residents, but it’s specifically designed to help adults 60 and older. It is anonymous and does not require a name, email address or identifier of any type.

The tool used artificial intelligence to analyze each person through an online questionnaire. It is designed for those who are considered high-risk.

The tool’s algorithms are driven by science and medicine, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.


Michigan COVID-19 daily reported cases since Dec. 1:

  • Dec. 1 -- 5,793 new cases
  • Dec. 2 -- 6,955 new cases
  • Dec. 3 -- 7,146 new cases
  • Dec. 4 -- 8,689 new cases
  • Dec. 5 -- 6,004 new cases
  • Dec. 6 -- 4,675 new cases
  • Dec. 7 -- 4,675 new cases
  • Dec. 8 -- 5,909 new cases
  • Dec. 9 -- 4,905 new cases
  • Dec. 10 -- 5,937 new cases
  • Dec. 11 -- 5,157 new cases
  • Dec. 12 -- 4,486 new cases
  • Dec. 13 -- 3,602 new cases
  • Dec. 14 -- 3,603 new cases
  • Dec. 15 -- 4,730 new cases
  • Dec. 16 -- 4,037 new cases
  • Dec. 17 -- 4,024 new cases
  • Dec. 18 -- 4,180 new cases
  • Dec. 19 -- 3,896 new cases
  • Dec. 20 -- 2,275 new cases
  • Dec. 21 -- 2,276 new cases
  • Dec. 22 -- 3,082 new cases
  • Dec. 23 -- 3,443 new cases
  • Dec. 24 -- 2,447 new cases
  • Dec. 25 -- 2,447 new cases
  • Dec. 26 -- 2,447 new cases
  • Dec. 28 -- 3,239 new cases (case count for two days)
  • Dec. 29 -- 3,414 new cases
  • Dec. 30 -- 4,222 new cases
  • Dec. 31 -- 2,994 new cases
  • Jan. 1 -- 2,994 new cases
  • Jan. 2 -- 2,995 new cases
  • Jan. 3 -- 2,496 new cases
  • Jan. 4 -- 2,496 new cases
  • Jan. 5 -- 2,291 new cases
  • Jan. 6 -- 4,326 new cases

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported deaths since Dec. 1:

  • Dec. 1 -- 190 new deaths (30 from vital records)
  • Dec. 2 -- 81 new deaths
  • Dec. 3 -- 175 new deaths (112 from vital records)
  • Dec. 4 -- 81 new deaths
  • Dec. 5 -- 193 new deaths (145 from vital records)
  • Dec. 6 -- 46 new deaths
  • Dec. 7 -- 47 new deaths
  • Dec. 8 -- 191 new deaths
  • Dec. 9 -- 75 new deaths
  • Dec. 10 -- 182 new deaths (132 from vital records)
  • Dec. 11 -- 61 new deaths
  • Dec. 12 -- 206 new deaths (176 from vital records)
  • Dec. 13 -- 45 new deaths
  • Dec. 14 -- 45 new deaths
  • Dec. 15 -- 183 new deaths (71 from vital records)
  • Dec. 16 -- 83 new deaths
  • Dec. 17 -- 190 new deaths (125 from vital records)
  • Dec. 18 -- 66 new deaths
  • Dec. 19 -- 187 new deaths (155 from vital records)
  • Dec. 20 -- 35 new deaths
  • Dec. 21 -- 36 new deaths
  • Dec. 22 -- 173 new deaths (72 from vital records)
  • Dec. 23 -- 70 new deaths
  • Dec. 24 -- 84 new deaths (62 from vital records)
  • Dec. 25 -- 85 new deaths (63 from vital records)
  • Dec. 26 -- 85 new deaths (63 from vital records)
  • Dec. 27 -- 30 new deaths
  • Dec. 28 -- 30 new deaths
  • Dec. 29 -- 193 new deaths
  • Dec. 30 -- 51 new deaths
  • Dec. 31 -- 88 new deaths
  • Jan. 1 -- 88 new deaths
  • Jan. 2 -- 89 new deaths
  • Jan. 3 -- 40 new deaths
  • Jan. 4 -- 40 new deaths
  • Jan. 5 -- 189 new deaths (117 from vital records)
  • Jan. 6 -- 51 new deaths

Coronavirus resources:


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About the Authors:

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.