LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A major Detroit-area health care provider reported another drop in COVID-19 patients Thursday, its lowest number since April 1, and said it has reached a plateau in battling the coronavirus.

Henry Ford Health System cautioned that the crisis is far from over, but said it's encouraged enough to start scheduling surgeries unrelated to the virus and suspending plans to create extra space for COVID-19 patients.

Henry Ford, which has five hospitals in southeastern Michigan, said it had 617 COVID-19 patients. More than 1,300 have been sent home in the last 30 days.

It “places us more on a plateau phase of this pandemic,” said Dr. Betty Chu, who is leading Henry Ford's response to the coronavirus. “This is, of course, great reason for hope. We hope that we're continuing to flatten the curve as we’re not seeing as much of a surge. However, it's certainly not a time to get complacent."

Chu said the hospitals are using 68% of their ventilators, critical devices that help patients with respiratory disorders to breathe.

LATEST NUMBERS

The number of people in Michigan with the coronavirus rose 4% to 29,263, the state health department said Thursday, although many of them have long recovered. Deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, increased by 172, or 9%, to 2,093. The state noted that 65 of those deaths could have occurred days or weeks ago.

Beaumont Health, the state's largest health provider, had 819 COVID-19 patients, down 19% from last Friday. Another 43 patients had tests pending.

People with mild symptoms "are recovering every day” without formal care, said Denise Fair, Detroit's chief public health officer.

BACK ON THE BEAT

Detroit police Chief James Craig emerged Thursday as a survivor of the coronavirus. He was at home for days relying on isolation, prayer, exercise and other remedies.

“I can smile. I’m excited. It’s certainly been a journey. ... To overcome this deadly virus I needed to fight back,” Craig told reporters.

He offered a message to the sick at home: “Get up, move around.”

BUDGET WOES

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state's tax revenues could drop by $7 billion over the next 18 months. She urged President Donald Trump to work with Congress to send more aid to states and local governments.

In a letter disclosed late Wednesday, Whitmer said revenues could drop by $3 billion by the end of the budget year in September and $4 billion more in the next budget year.

The state and local governments are being hit with a double-whammy: reduced tax revenue caused by the pandemic’s economic havoc and the additional costs of fighting it. Michigan is getting $3.8 billion as part of a federal relief bill, including $800 million for Detroit and the four largest counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Kent.

As of now, that money must be spent combating the virus and cannot go toward replacing lost revenues, according to the state budget office.

___

White reported from Detroit. Associated Press write Corey Williams in West Bloomfield contributed to this report.