Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the reason rural parts of Michigan are still under a COVID-19 lockdown is because their hospitals are under stress.
“In some of our rural areas, the number of hospital beds are not what it should be. Many of our hospitals in our rural areas are at capacity,” Khaldun said in the May 3 interview on NBC's Meet The Press.
The bed occupancy rate was 64% for the 43 Michigan hospitals surveyed as of May 7, according to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
There were 15 of those 43 Michigan hospitals that reported not having any COVID-19 patients.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.