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Here Are Updates From Gov. Whitmer's Sept. 2 Press Conference

(CBS DETROIT) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference Wednesday afternoon providing updates on the State's response to COVID-19.

Here's Whitmer's Sept. 2 updates:

  • Whitmer said she had two announcements that will help the state slow the spread of Covid-19 and provide some much needed support to small business owners.
    • MDHHS is partnering with community organizations to launch 12 neighborhood testing sites by the end of the week and more than 20 across the state in the coming weeks.
    • Huntington Bank is making a $5 billion investment to boost Michigan's economy
      • This plan is part of a $20 billion corporate initiative.
      • "In this critical time when businesses are confronting the extreme challenge of a public health crisis, recession and issues related to social equity, Huntington's purpose of looking out for people calls us to do more for Michigan's small businesses, consumers and communities," said Sandy Pierce, Huntington's director of Private Banking, Insurance Agency, Vehicle Finance and Regional Banking.

Sandy Pierce, Senior Executive Vice President of Huntington Bank

  • Tuesday, General Motors announced they would donate two million face masks to Michigan Public Schools as part of the MI Mask Aid Partnership.
  • Whitmer said these initiatives will help the state continue fighting the pandemic and protect small business owners.
  • Whitmer met with White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx in Lansing Wednesday to discuss Michigan's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Whitmer expressed the need for clear, consistent guidance from the federal government including a national mask mandate that could save thousands of American lives.
    • She also expressed the need for full federal funding for the Michigan National Guard to support Michigan's testing operations in vulnerable settings like nursing homes and prisons.
  • She added the announcement she plans to make in the coming days will protect athletes, coaches, families and small business owners.
    • "I will have more to say on this topic very soon, so stay tuned, keep your eye on the ball and keep working to beat this virus together," she said.

RELATED LINK: Whitmer Meets With White House Coronavirus Task Force, Requests Federal Support To Expand Testing, Save Lives

Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced 524 coronavirus cases in the state and an additional 14 deaths Wednesday.

Khaldun said this brings the state's total of COVID-19 cases to 103,710 and 6,509 deaths.

RELATED LINK: Michigan Reports 524 New Covid-19 Cases, 14 Deaths Wednesday

The rate of new cases continues to vary by region. Here's the data update as of Sept. 2:

Michigan's overall case rate is at 59 cases per million people per day and has declined in the past week. The state's positivity rate is at 3.1 percent (of tests coming back positive). This number has decreased over the past week, Khaldun said.

  • Detroit Region: has the highest case rate at 66 cases per million people per day.
    • Khaldun said this trend is declining.
  • Traverse City and UP Regions: over 40 cases per million people per day.
    • Both regions are being watched very closely.
    • Traverse City has had an increase over the past three weeks.
    • Both regions continue to have higher cases than there were a few months ago.
  • Grand Rapids Region: 59 cases per million people per day.
    • This region has seen a recent increase in case rate as well as the percentages of positive cases.
  • Saginaw and Kalamazoo Regions: about 56 and 50 cases per million people per day.
    • The Saginaw Region has seen a decreasing trend.
    • Kalamazoo's case rate has increased.
  • Jackson and Lansing Regions: under 40 cases per million people per day.

Outbreaks

  • Last week the health department identified 93 new outbreaks.
  • Khaldun said the state is working with local health departments to gather names of specific schools that have outbreaks associated with them, receiving accurate data. This information is expected to be posted within the next two weeks.
Governor Whitmer Provides Update to State's Response to COVID-19

The live stream will start at 2:25 p.m. and the press conference will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Posted by Michigan State Police on Wednesday, September 2, 2020

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