COVID-19

WVBI COVID-19 Update for January 18, 2021


MLive is reporting this morning that Governor Whitmer will extend the state’s current shutdown order prohibiting inside service and bars and restaurants through February 1st. They’ve been shut since November 18. After the 1st, they’d be subject to a 10 p.m. curfew.  According to the Michigan’s restaurant trade group, Michigan is one of three states remaining with a statewide shutdown order and has had the most days of statewide restaurant dining closure of any state—while at the same time refusing to prioritize vaccination of hospitality industry employees.  All of the metrics the state says it will rely on in considering and extension have declined—without the post-holiday surge after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that many had forecast.

 

Meantime, the state continues to lag behind in vaccine distribution.  Michigan has administered just 233,085 of the 829,200 COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed throughout the state during the first four weeks of vaccine availability—this after having more than nine months to prepare.  Despite problems on the mainland, the island is making good progress.  So far, 24 frontline folks—health workers and first responders– have been vaccinated. Another 150 vaccinations are set for the 19th for additional front line workers as well as teachers and other essential workers. Health Center Director Tammy Radionoff says there is another clinic planned for the end of the month. It depends on how many doses are in the next batch, but we could very soon be to the point where nearly half the island’s winter population is vaccinated. 

 

New COVID-19 data from the state continues to look good.  There were 1,994 new cases statewide yesterday and 50 new deaths—along with another 50 deaths reclassified from prior dates.  The seven-day running average for new cases is down about 300 to 2,411.  For deaths it is 86—that number still being driven high by reclassifications that vastly outnumber new deaths. In the eight-county region we’ve followed from the start, there were 30 new cases and no new deaths. Charlevoix had four of the new cases. Seven were in Grand Traverse. Averages for the region are 57 new cases and one death a day.

 

Statewide there are now 115,317 active cases—down again this time by about 4,000.  Our region has 2,038—down again by just about 100. 

 

Last reported average positivity rate statewide is at 9.1% down a bit.  It is steady in our safe start zone, but still high at 10.3%.  The rate in Charlevoix county is 2.9%–where it has been hovering for almost a week after being higher for some time. The C-D-C target is 3%.  No update in the statewide and safe start zone hospital occupancy reports, but the last ones looked good.  Locally, there is one COVID-19 patient at Munson Charlevoix in a regular bed and there are ten at McLaren in Petoskey—all in their I-C-U. 

 

On the island, no testing update.  They have one test pending. No new positives since December 7th—so we are now at the point where—according to the state’s standards, there are no known active cases on the island.

 

Complete data for our region plus summaries for the state, the T-C safe start zone and the U-P are in today’s script online.

 

 

 

Cases

Deaths

Δ Cases

Δ Deaths

Totals

State

525612

13501

1994

100

Region

8291

174

30

0

TVC Zone

14030

349

53

3

UP

15080

338

57

1

50 of the total deaths are reclassifications. There were 50 new deaths.

 

 

7 Day Rolling Averages

State

2411

86

 

Region

57

1

 

TVC Zone

103

3

 

UP

54

1

Note: Look back now 6 days divided by 7 to adj. for no Sunday data.

 

 

County

Cases

Deaths

Δ Cases

Δ Deaths

Region

Antrim

629

13

5

0

Benzie

654

27

4

0

Charlevoix

751

10

4

0

Emmet

1117

34

1

0

Grand Traverse

3131

46

7

0

Kalkaska

483

14

1

0

Leelanau

622

9

4

0

Otsego

904

21

4

0

Link to data.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Est. Active Cases (cases <31 days old)

State

115317

 

 

Region

2038

 

 

TVC Zone

3705

 

 

UP

2175

Note: Look back now 26 days to adjust for 4 Sundays with no data.

 

Data from January 12, 2021