Michigan’s hospitals on Monday had hundreds of patients who tested positive for the coronavirus or were in the hospital awaiting test results.

With a steep rise in confirmed cases anticipated, and thousands of people across the state still awaiting test results, Monday’s numbers raised fresh questions about whether the state’s hospitals are equipped to handle a surge in infections.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter told Bridge Magazine he heard a similar message from representatives from the county’s half-dozen major hospital systems. While hospitals are holding ground for now, “this is going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.

“They all say the same thing. They are at a critical point already — not overwhelmed yet, but they need equipment, like, yesterday, and they are concerned that they won’t have enough employees to work because so many of them are in quarantine,” Coulter said.

Beaumont Health — Michigan’s largest health system — had 333 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 by Monday afternoon, and another 178 in the hospital awaiting test results. More than 300 more patients tested positive but were sent home to recover.

Beaumont was among the Michigan hospital systems that embraced curbside testing and in-house testing of suspected COVID-19 cases. In all, Beaumont had processed more than 4,500 tests by Monday. More than 2,200 test results were still pending.

At Henry Ford Health System, at least 86 patients had confirmed cases of COVID-19. And 18 patients had confirmed cases at the University of Michigan’s health system by Monday.

McLaren Health Care system, which includes 14 hospitals in central and northern Michigan as well as southeast Michigan and the Thumb, told Bridge it had five COVID-19 patients in its hospitals as of Monday morning.

Three major Michigan hospital systems — Detroit Medical Center, Spectrum Health and Munson Healthcare — did not release patient numbers on Monday.

The jump in hospital patients with COVID-19 reflected the steep upswing in recent days of confirmed cases throughout the state and the country. The state jumped from 334 confirmed tests last Thursday to 1,328 on Monday, a virtual fourfold increase. Michigan had 15 reported deaths by Monday. Across the United States, more than 100 deaths were reported Monday, driving the national total past 500 deaths.

Oakland County residents with COVID-19 infections range in age from 14 days old to 95 years, according to county officials. County residents on Monday filled a truck with medical and cleaning supplies after Coulter, the county executive, used Facebook to ask for donations.

“They don’t have enough ventilators. They don’t have enough personal protection equipment — masks, gloves, face shields, and gowns,” he told his Facebook audience.

A more definitive estimate of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Michigan is difficult, given that the state’s top health officials said she doesn't know that number.