Why Michigan Got Hit Harder By COVID-19 Than Other Midwest States

What the heck happened in Michigan that caused us to get so many more cases of COVID-19 than the states around us? MLive.com has put together some interesting stats and potential reasons for the high numbers.

Michigan has had a LOT more cases of confirmed COVID-19 than all the other states around us - including Illinois. Even though research shows we've been in the top 5 states when it came to reducing travel. Michigan, so far, has had about 21,500 cases and 1,076 deaths, with a lot of those in the Detroit area - an area with a population of 4.3 million people. Illinois has had about 16,500 cases reported and 534 deaths. Half the deaths of Michigan. But Chicago has TWICE the population, at 9.5 million. So, what happened?

Yes, both Chicago and Detroit had people flying in from China and Europe. Yes, both cities have low-income residents with health concerns. But - according to the article, one of the big factors for Michigan and Detroit may have been the record turnout of our Michigan Presidential primary on March 10th. And the campaign rallies by Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden around Detroit in the days before. By the way - March 10th was the day Michigan announced our first confirmed cases of coronavirus.

So, just like the smoking gun in Louisiana's high count, looks like those rallies and the primary here in Michigan may have been OUR Mardi Gras moment.

Interesting article that paints a picture. And not a good one. Here's the story.