ANN ARBOR – Researchers at the University of Michigan said that the state’s “Pause to Save Lives” mandate in mid-November likely saved thousands of lives during the holiday season. According to preliminary findings by the School of Public Health, the measures over Thanksgiving and Christmas might have prevented more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 across the state. That translates to 2,800 lives saved based on the state’s fatality rate of 2.6%. They also determined that government response measures, including closures, public health efforts and economic supports, had an impact on case prevention. Michigan had the lowest amount of coronavirus cases in the Midwest over the holiday season.