Virus made 2020 Michigan's deadliest year; deaths rose 18%

By DAVID EGGERT 

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The coronavirus made 2020 Michigan's deadliest year, driving a nearly 18% increase in deaths over 2019, according to preliminary state data.

It was the largest annual percentage jump on record, surpassing a 15.6% increase in 1918 — when the flu pandemic struck.

More than 115,300 people died in Michigan last year, up from about 97,800 in 2019.

COVID-19 has been linked to nearly 16,700 deaths.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver a statewide address Wednesday, marking the one-year anniversary since Michigan's first confirmed cases.

She is asking residents to turn on their porch lights between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.