Michigan on Thursday reported 1,121 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, marking a new daily high in almost three months, according to a report in the Associated Press.
State officials reported 16 deaths, including nine that occurred earlier and were identified during a records review.
“We took one of the most aggressive approaches in the nation against this virus and because we’ve taken this so seriously, we’re doing much better than other states,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a press conference on Friday.
Whitmer said, for the last month, Michigan’s average infection rate was half that of Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.
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“Georgia was the first state in the country to reopen its economy and is now averaging five times the number new cases of coronavirus in a day, five times more than the state of Michigan,” she said. “And while states like Georgia and Florida and Texas reported hundreds of new deaths last week, Michigan had 43.”
The 1,121 daily COVID-19 cases were the most since May 14 except for July 26, when a spike was attributed to cases that should have been reflected in the previous day’s count, according to the AP. Thursday’s figure coincided with the state reporting more than 40,000 test results in a day — a record, the outlet reported.
Whitmer also announced a new partnership on Friday between the state, Ford Motor Company and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called “MI Mask Aid,” which will provide 4 million free masks to those who need them most. Whitmer said 1 million face coverings from FEMA and 1.5 million from Ford will go to low income schools, the city of Detroit, federally qualified health centers, some COVID-19 testing sites and many organizations helping to reach vulnerable populations.
Michigan has a total of more than 90,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,280 deaths so far.