Four additional deaths connected to the Coronavirus this week have been reported by the Allegan County Health Department, bringing the total to 134 since the pandemic began more than 13 months ago.

Health officials have said that death statistics tend to lag behind other indicators, which are looking a lot more positive. The seven-day average of new daily cases has dropped by more than half, from 75.6 on April 20 to just 36.7 as of Friday, May 7.

Yet the Wayland Board of Education in a special meeting Friday decided to return Wayland Middle School to the hybrid plan of instruction starting this coming week for the rest of the academic year because 11 Covid cases were reported for that school. Wayland High School also has gone back to the hybrid model.

The hybrid involves half of the student body attend in-person classes Mondays and Thursday, the other half Tuesdays and Fridays and Wednesdays set aside for virtual instruction.

Statistic show the positivity rate for new cases over the past two weeks has been 16.6 percent and hospitalizations increased by five to 229 over the past week.

There have been 10,623 cases of the virus and 8,861 have been designated as recovered.

Martin and Hopkins schools have continued in-person instruction this month and have reported few if any problems.