Federal officials focused on Wayne County as emerging coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspot

US Coronavirus Task Force concerned as Detroit surpasses 1,000 confirmed cases

DETROIT – Federal officials are focusing on Wayne County as an emerging coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspot as the city of Detroit alone surpasses 1,000 confirmed cases.

UPDATE -- March 27, 2020: Michigan cases up to 3,657, including 92 deaths

The number of confirmed cases continued to skyrocket Friday, with 801 new cases in the state. Young, middle-aged and elderly people in Wayne County and Detroit have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The U.S. Coronavirus Task Force is now focused on Wayne County as an emerging hotspot for the virus.

Click here to visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coronavirus resource page.

The city of Detroit is also becoming a major concern for federal, state and local authorities. The city surpassed 1,000 cases Friday, according to the state -- 1,075 confirmed cases. That’s more cases in the city than in any Michigan county.

There are an additional 735 cases in Wayne County outside of Detroit, giving the county a total of 1,810 confirmed cases, according to the state count.

LATEST: Detroit police Chief James Craig tests positive for coronavirus

On Friday afternoon, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Detroit police Chief James Craig tested positive for the coronavirus. He said 39 DPD officers have tested positive, and 468 are in quarantine.

The Detroit Health Department released a map on the city’s website that shows the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

Click here to view the heat map on the city’s official website.

The red areas represent hotspots with higher numbers of cases. There are few areas of red and much more green, suggesting the virus is widespread in the city.


About the Authors

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

Recommended Videos