On Thursday, October 1, 2020, LMAS District Health Department had a total of 134 cases of COVID-19.
Three weeks later on Thursday, October 22, 2020, the number had risen to 358, a 167% increase in just three weeks.
Sadly over the last two weeks there have also been two COVID related deaths in our counties, the first in Alger, an older male, and a second in Schoolcraft County, an older female with underlying health conditions.
From October 1st to October 22nd, Mackinac County cases increased from 69 to 147. Alger County cases increased from 21 to 103 cases, Schoolcraft cases increased from 31 to 60 and Luce County increased from 13 to 47. For perspective, from March to July 1, 2020, the four counties had only 20 cases total.
The reasons for the increases are mixed. Some cases are tied to an event or large gathering. Others are more
associated with community spread with fewer people following the basic guidelines of mask wearing, avoiding large
crowds, and staying home when sick.
There have been many articles written about “COVID-fatigue”, which references that many people are tired of doing all these small things and have let down their guard. We understand. We are tired, too. We need you to join with us to bring our COVID case numbers down, so as not to overwhelm hospital or public health capacity, and most importantly to protect your health and the health of your communities.
We need your help. The virus which causes COVID-19 is present in all of our communities. Please wear a clean cloth face covering whenever you are in public, wash your hands, stay home if you don’t feel well, please avoid large gatherings, and answer the phone if the health department contacts you. Will you resolve to help us protect our communities by doing these very small things? We can’t do it without you.
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