Michigan governor calling on National Guard to assist health officials with coronavirus outbreak

The Michigan governor is calling on the state's National Guard to help its health department with mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the coalition would be assisting the Department of Health and Human Services by assembling and loading critical personal protective gear like gloves, gowns, and face shields.

Once those are prepared and packaged, the MDHHS will be delivering those supplies to various local public health departments.

"The Michigan National Guard has been involved with the COVID-19 response from a planning and coordination standpoint since the SEOC was stood up,” said Whitmer in a release. "The men and women of the Michigan National Guard are part of the fabric of our communities and I am confident they are ready to support state and local agencies as this response continues."

Galvanizing the national guard represents a new stage in Michigan's fight to combat the growing spread of COVID-19 in the state. Since its first confirmation on March 10, the state estimates it now has more than 110 positive cases and is monitoring many more.

Along with that new estimation is the state's first confirmed death - a middle-aged man with underlying conditions who died at an undisclosed Beaumont hospital.