Morning Briefing April 4, 2021: Local churches to welcome crowds on Easter Sunday amid pandemic, Monroe fire leaves 4 hospitalized, 44 killed in Indonesia landslides and flash floods

Here are this morning’s top stories

Metro Detroit churches prepare to welcome Easter crowds amid COVID pandemic

Health experts are still concerned about big gatherings on Easter Sunday. Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple is expecting hundreds on Sunday in a space that can fill thousands.


Monroe apartment complex fire that destroyed units leaves 4 hospitalized

An apartment complex fire that happened overnight Sunday in Monroe left four people injured, officials say.

All of the victims are expected to survive. The firefighters on the scene say a few units are completely destroyed.


Heavy rains trigger landslide, floods in Indonesia; 44 dead

Landslides and flash floods from torrential rains in eastern Indonesia killed at least 44 people and displaced thousands, a disaster relief agency said Sunday. Several others were still missing.


Weather: Chilly Easter morning, warm in the afternoon with sunshine


Coronavirus in Michigan 💉

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 692,206 as of Saturday, including 16,218 deaths, state officials report.

Saturday’s update includes a total of 8,413 new cases and 57 additional deaths. The deaths announced Saturday include 51 identified during a Vital Records review, which means they did not occur between Friday and Saturday. It was the highest one-day total for new cases since Dec. 4.

The State of Michigan reported a total of 577,141 recoveries from COVID-19 on Saturday.

Updates on COVID-19 case numbers and deaths are not shared on Sundays. The next update will be Monday, April 5.

Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate above 14% as of Friday, the highest since early December. The state has reported an up-tick in hospitalizations over the last several weeks.

Related: Michigan’s coronavirus surge worst in nation, data shows

Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 5,622 on Saturday -- the highest since December. The 7-day death average was 27 on Saturday and has been flat for several weeks. The state’s fatality rate is 2.4%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 100,000 on Friday.

Michigan has reported more than 4.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Wednesday, with 35.2% of residents having received at least one dose. About 21% are fully vaccinated.

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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