KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo County health officials have confirmed that another area resident has died from COVID-19 complications.
On Thursday the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department announced that a 13th person has died from the illness, described as an older adult between the ages of 60-79 with underlying medical conditions.
At last reported six of the COVID-19 deaths in Kalamazoo County have been among residents between the ages of 60-79, and seven deaths have occurred in patients over 80. According to the county’s COVID-19 tracking webpage, the average age of those who have died is 79.
Case numbers released by the state government show that elderly people are more at risk for complications if they contract COVID-19, and the chance of dying from the illness gradually increases with age. In Kalamazoo County people older than 60 makeup 31.1% of cases but 100% of deaths.
New county numbers show a total of 364 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kalamazoo County, a five number increase from the day before.
Despite a growing number of test kits and clinics being available in the community, this week fewer county residents tested positive than the week before.
The first confirmed case was reported to the health department on March 10th, with testing numbers peaking on April 20th before declining again.
Close to the national average, 53.4% of people testing positive are women and 46.6% are men. Health experts say it is unclear why there is a sex imbalance in testing numbers, but it could occur because clinical evidence suggest woman are statistically more likely to seek medical care than men.
Kalamazoo County does not release sex or race information for patients who have died, but state data shows that men are 9% more likely to die from the virus despite testing at lower rates.
African American and black residents make up almost 12% of the county population but account for 34.2% of confirmed cases.
Other regions in Michigan have also reported racial disparities in testing numbers, prompting Governor Gretchen Whitmer to launch a task force headed by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist to address barriers to care and increase testing access in the black community.
The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Service Department recently began posting case counts based on zip code online. Health officials were initially hesitant to make the information available, saying that it gave residents a false idea of where transmission is likely to occur.
County board chair Julie Rogers and other leaders urged for the zip code data to be made public, hoping that it would lead to better resource allocation among the different areas.
After a slow start and dire shortage of supplies, COVID-19 testing is now being done at area hospitals, through local clinics, and by the county health department itself.
On April 7th public health officer Jim Rutherford announced that a collaboration between Kalamazoo County, Western Michigan’s WMed Health System, and the Fifth District Medical Response Coalition would be holding a drive-up test collection site where patients approved by their doctor can provide samples from their car.
The Family Health Center in Kalamazoo has held three “rolling” drive-thru test clinics, where pre-screened patients authorized to get tested can bring their vehicle into an outdoor tented facility and get tested within 10-12 minutes.
Two more drive-thru clinics are planned by the health center at the parking lots of Comstock High School on May 5th and Vicksburg High School on May 7th.
