(WXYZ) — Metro Detroit is expected to reach a peak in the coronavirus pandemic within the next six to seven days, said Dr. Deborah Birx with the White House coronavirus task force.
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Birx made the announcement during Saturday's task force briefing, saying that New York, Detroit and Louisiana are hard hit areas that will see this peak in the next few days.
More specifically, Birx says in Michigan, Wayne and Oakland counties will see the brunt of these increased cases and deaths from the coronavirus. Birx, who is the task forces' response coordinator, adds that after the peak, a decrease is expected to follow.
"All of those counties -- Wayne and Oakland -- they're all on the upside of their curve of mortality," Birx said. "So you know when you get to the peak, you come down the other side."
Birx says that the data is available at healthdata.org. She did not say how many deaths are expected to occur with this peak, but says it will vary between the three hardest hit areas of Detroit, New York and Louisiana.
The information provided by the White House contradicts what Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer predicted during a press conference last week, saying Michigan could reach an apex in late April or early May.
As of Saturday, there were 540 deaths and 14,225 confirmed casesof COVID-19 in Michigan. The state will provide updated numbers at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
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