This page is best viewed on a desktop. Rotate your phone to better view the charts. You can also scroll the charts with your fingers.COVID-19 Snapshot, 2020-2023
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the Washtenaw County community. The pandemic highlighted the importance of preparedness, health care infrastructure, and community support systems. It also showed how deeply rooted structural inequities can contribute to devastating health disparities.
From 2020-2023, the Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD) worked diligently to address health concerns and inequities that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant piece of this work involved monitoring of local COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This local data is essential in guiding public health response, informing policy decisions, and ultimately saving lives.
Most Washtenaw County deaths throughout the pandemic were in older residents. People 65 to 79 years old accounted for 36% of our county’s COVID-related deaths in the first three years of COVID-19. Almost half (46%) of our COVID-related deaths during these three years were people 80 years old or older. The age range for COVID deaths in our county was 21 to 108 years old. We did not have any COVID deaths in children.
COVID-related deaths occurred in three main waves. The deadliest time period was December 2021 to January 2022, when both the Delta variant and the new Omicron variant were circulating.
In the beginning of the pandemic, there was a large disparity in COVID-19 death rates by race in Washtenaw County residents. Black or African American residents were almost twice as likely to die than White residents. By 2022, the rate of deaths in Black or African American residents had decreased substantially, while the White rate increased, resulting in equal rates by race.
As of March 2023, Washtenaw County has had a lower death rate from COVID than every other county in Michigan since the beginning of the pandemic. The protective effect of living in Washtenaw County was seen across multiple racial, ethnic, and age groups. Click here to read more in our COVID-19 Mortality Report 2020-2023.
See more local COVID-19 data at https://www.washtenaw.org/3108/Cases.
*Data source for all mortality data: Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS) The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services defines confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths as: “Confirmed deaths include individuals who meet one or more of the following conditions: 1) Have been identified as a confirmed [COVID] case and classified as deceased as a result of a case investigation in the MDSS. MDSS is the database used by state and local health department to monitor reportable diseases like COVID-19; 2) have been identified as a confirmed [COVID] case in MDSS and have a death certificate with COVID-19 listed as a cause of death; 3) have been identified as a confirmed [COVID] case in MDSS and die within 30 days of onset of COVID-19 infection and have a death certificate which classifies their manner death as ‘natural’. Probable deaths include individuals who have COVID indicated as a cause of death on their death certificate but have not had a positive diagnostic laboratory test [e.g. only had a positive home antigen test but confirmatory PCR testing was not performed].”
Impact of COVID-19: Results from the 2023 Community Survey
In the 2023 Community Survey, WCHD asked people to think about how things had changed for our community from before the pandemic to now. Survey respondents were asked to rate a list of 20 items on if they were better than before the pandemic, worse than before the pandemic, or had stayed the same.
Out of the 20 items survey respondents were asked to consider, 19 were rated by the majority of respondents to either be worse now compared to before the pandemic, or to have not changed. Over 60% of survey respondents believe that access to affordable housing, the ability to pay bills such as rent and utilities, and social connection has gotten worse since the pandemic started. Other notable items that survey respondents felt have gotten worse since the pandemic started included access to quality, affordable childcare, access to mental health and substance use services, and access to healthy affordable food.
Job flexibility was the only item that the majority of the respondents said was better now compared to before the pandemic.
These survey results highlight how COVID-19 disrupted our community in major ways. The impact of the pandemic will likely persist for many years to come.
To see full results of WCHD’s 2023 Community Survey, click here.
Impact of COVID-19: Findings from Focus Groups and Key Informant Interviews
The themes from our Community Survey were also reflected in the findings from the Focus Groups and Key Informant Interviews we conducted in the spring of 2023. Common themes from this qualitative data included the broader impacts of the pandemic and how challenging it became (and for many, continues to be) to maintain stability in other aspects of life, especially as it relates to housing, mental health, education, access to healthy foods, and overall financial stability.
“Yeah, but as the result of the pandemic groups, you know, things like the food prices going up, rents going up. I get a lot of calls from people about you know, I can't pay my bills, I'm afraid I'm gonna get kicked out because I can't keep up with my rent. And, you know, if I pay for my rent, I can't buy food for me and my kids. A lot of that is showing up and not that I didn't get that before but it's much more prevalent now.”
--Interview Participant
Even though COVID was a difficult time, we also saw our community come together and show how resilient it was. When asked about the strengths of our community, one of the top responses was that participants felt like they lived in a community where people cared about each other and if there's somebody in need people will come together and want to help out.
“One of the biggest strengths in this community is if there's somebody in need, and if I put the word out or somebody else puts the word out, they come together, like you would not believe. You know, somebody's having a problem. And I say, Okay, we need to collect this for this person. You know, I will usually be overwhelmed by the response.”
--Interview Participant
