Coronavirus deaths in Oakland County double in single day — and expected to get worse

Oakland County now has 59 coronavirus-related deaths, up from 29 the day before, officials warned in a Monday afternoon conference call. The number of COVID-19 cases are now 1,391.

In a single day, the number of fatal cases doubled and are likely to get worse this week.

"These are stunning numbers and reinforce our sense of urgency in this pandemic," Oakland County Executive David Coulter said, predicting that fatalities will increase and begging residents to "please, please stay home."

He also cautioned that hospitals are nearing capacity and federal officials are looking at three sites to set up as a makeshift hospital, much like what is being done at the TCF Center, formerly known as Cobo Center, in Detroit.

Sites that are under consideration include Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield and Oakland University in Rochester Hills.

He also announced Oakland County is launching a map and dashboard of vital statistics, that, among other things, is expected to let people know daily and overall coronavirus cases and deaths broken down by gender, age, and ZIP code.

Coulter and the county's health officer, Leigh-Anne Stafford, emphasized the county hot-zone maps are not a complete picture of how the virus is being transmitted, and it's difficult to determine what may be causing more cases in certain communities.

The dashboard, the county executive said, also should not be seen as a way to determine which communities are safe and which are not. Cases are being identified by home addresses, not where the virus was spread.

"COVID-19 is everywhere in this community and this county and you should take the appropriate precautions," Coulter said. "Don't panic if your community has a higher number and don't let up if it doesn't."

In general, Coulter said, it appears that there are more cases in the southern part of the county. That, he speculated could be a result of more testing or homes that are closer together, but at this point, he said, it is known.

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On top of the public health crisis, workers throughout Michigan are beginning to worry about what will happen as they face a financial crunch because they are unable to draw a paycheck.

To help, the governor on Monday declared that many Michiganders who did not qualify for state unemployment benefits will now be able to benefit through an agreement between the state and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Eligibility details, however, are still being worked out and, labor officials acknowledge, filing a claim through the state system still is a problem as an unprecedented number of people suddenly find themselves out of work.

Still, to fight the virus, Michigan companies are stepping up to try to provide equipment health professionals and coronavirus patients desperately need now and likely will need more of in the days to come.

Ford Motor Co. executives, for instance, have assembled a task force to address the personal protective equipment shortage, pivoting from building cars to manufacturing medical devices.

The automaker aims to make thousands of protective face shields for doctors, nurses and first responders.

General Motors reportedly began working on a plan to make ventilators to combat the coronavirus, and President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the company to ramp up production.

Other companies have begun making hand sanitizer and sewing masks.

Coulter praised the efforts of local companies and residents to volunteer and donate respirators and other equipment.

"I know this sounds very dark and sad, and it is," he said. "But, I want to assure our residents that folks that are working with the county and local and state levels are doing everything they can and we can defeat this virus."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.