Gov. Whitmer: Michigan experiences unprecedented increase in unemployment claims

LANSING, Mich. — Unemployment claims in Michigan filed during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak outpaced those made during the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a live Monday update on the states' response to the pandemic.

Whitmer was joined by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan's chief medical executive, as they outlined the work the state was doing in response to COVID-19.

• Supply status: Michigan hospitals just days away from running out of personal protection equipment for health care workers

Whitmer said while 77,000 unemployment claims were made during the hardest week of the recession, there were 127,000 new claims during the week starting Sunday, March 15, 2020. She said there were 300,000 new claims during the week starting Sunday, March 22.

She compared these numbers to the average number of new claims per week before the outbreak, 5,000, and said there were more new claims in two weeks of the outbreak than in all of 2019. She said she expects the numbers to continue to rise as the virus progresses.

Regarding the medical response, Whitmer said the state was running low on personal protective equipment, with less than three days' supply of face shields, and less than six days' supply of surgical gowns.

Whitmer said the state was is still seeking volunteers to apply through the state website to help fight the spread of the virus.

She thanked those who had already volunteered: "Thank you for the hard work that you've done. I thank you for the sacrifice you've made."

Khaldun said while testing capacity had grown significantly since the start of the outbreak, the state isn't out of the woods, with more than 1,000 new cases still being reported daily. She said 3,768 COVID-19 patients had been hospitalized as of Sunday, April 5, with 1,383 on ventilators.

Khaldun recommended heeding Whitmer's stay-at-home order, and said everyone should wear a mask at all times if leaving their homes. She said one could be made from cloth or a bandanna, but asked residents to leave surgical and N95 masks for those on the front lines of the outbreak.

While Khaldun said models were getting more accurate, she did not believe anyone could say when the number of infections would peak.

Whitmer reminded residents that wearing a mask was a means of added protection, but not a guarantee.

She encouraged residents spending time giving back to the community during the outbreak, such as donating blood or making masks, to share pictures with the hashtag #DoingMIPart.

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