Whitmer Extends Emergency Even As Hospital Occupancy Rates Back To Normal
The rate was 66% on June 15, same figure as 1990 and 2010
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she will extend the State of Emergency she declared in March through the end of July and likely longer, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“This crisis is not over,” Whitmer said June 17 at her press conference.
When she declared the COVID-19 epidemic state of emergency on March 10 Whitmer said: “Ultimately these recommendations are about slowing the spread of the disease to ensure that medical facilities have adequate staffing and resources for vulnerable populations and those who are sick.”
The "staffed bed" occupancy rate in the state’s hospitals was 66% as of June 15.
That’s in line with the levels Michigan’s hospitals have experienced in normal times over the past decades.
The average bed occupancy rate in Michigan was 66% in 1990, 65% in 2000, 66% in 2010 and 65% in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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.