Monthly Archives: May 2021

(May 7, 2021 4:11 PM)  The Jackson County Health Department has released its weekly COVID-19 report and it is published here: The number of COVID-19 cases continues to trend down in Michigan and in Jackson County. Please refer to the MI Safe Start Map for additional statewide data.  Notably, the 20-29 year old population exhibits a disparate number of the COVID positive population, meaning that they have a higher than average percent of cases overall in all populations during the timeframe of March 1, 2020 – May 4, 2021.  Concerns associated with potential long-term effects of COVID, also known as “long COVID,” remain in some residents.  These effects include:  fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, depression, and headache. Effects can be disabling and can last for months, and in some cases, arise without warning in patients who had few or no symptoms at the time they were diagnosed with COVID-19. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued an updated Gatherings and Face Mask Order effective May 6 - May 31, 2021.  This order rescinds and replaces the previous April 19, 2021 order.   Vaccine Information There are three vaccine options offered in Jackson County.  All three are CDC…

(May 7, 2021 3:14 PM) Michigan reported 2,758 coronavirus (COVID-19) positive test cases today, with the state reported total now at 860,808. Michigan is reporting 30 COVID-19-related deaths today with the state total at 18,084.  State Cumulative Total of Recovered COVID-19 Cases (as of 4/30/21): 660,124. This information is updated Monday through Saturday at 3 p.m., with COVID-19 results included as of 10 a.m.  Monday reports include Sunday data.  

(May 7, 2021 2:51 PM) The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has revised its epidemic order for COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities across the state to reflect current guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.   Under changes to the COVID-19 testing order for skilled nursing facilities, homes for the aged and adult foster care facilities licensed to care for 13 or more individuals, fully vaccinated staff no longer must be routinely tested. This order is effective immediately.  "Getting the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. "The increases we are seeing in Michiganders receiving their vaccine, including among long-term care patients and staff, is allowing us make this change to testing requirements in these facilities.”  Testing continues to be required under the following circumstances:  Initial testing of all new or returning residents to a facility covered by this Order and newly hired staff when the individual is unvaccinated and has not been tested in the 72 hours prior to intake or start date.  Testing any resident or staff member with symptoms of COVID-19 or suspected exposure to COVID-19, regardless of that individual’s vaccination status.   Weekly testing of…

(May 7, 2021 12:00 PM) The Jackson County Health Department released the COVID-19 positive numbers for Jackson County.  As of 12:00 PM today, there are 14,103 positive cases (cumulative), and 256 deaths (cumulative)*.     There are 39 new cases since yesterday’s report.   Cumulative recovered, as of May 7: 11,698** As of May 7, there are 33 persons at Henry Ford Allegiance Health being treated as inpatients for COVID-19.   The cumulative numbers posted on Mondays include the data from Sunday and Monday.  Recovered numbers are being posted as received.  The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting as of 5 PM April 30, there are 5,401 confirmed positive cases at Jackson facilities and 681 confirmed positive staff cases.  MDOC positive case numbers are cumulative. Note:  Jackson County will post COVID-19 data daily by mid-afternoon, Monday-Saturday, keeping with the schedule established by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The cumulative numbers posted on Monday will include the data from Sunday and Monday.  Recovered numbers are being posted as received.  Epicurve data and Township maps are also posted on Mondays by 3:30 PM. *These numbers do not reflect any cases or deaths identified through Michigan Department of Corrections.  Their…

 (May 6, 2021 8:35 PM) Henry Ford Health System senior leaders held a press event today to emphasize that vaccination was key to driving down hospitalizations, controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus and emerging variants and “getting back to normal.”  Hospitalizations across the health system have fallen 42% in the past two weeks and the positivity rate for infection was 8.9%, a significant drop from 13.3% in that same period. On April 16, the positivity rate was 20%.   While those trends provided a hopeful sign, senior leaders said getting more people vaccinated was critical to slowing the transmission of the virus and its more contagious variants. Henry Ford has administered just under 300,000 doses of vaccine since Dec. 17, and more than 180,000 people are fully vaccinated. Statewide, 40% of Michigan’s 8 million residents are fully vaccinated.  “We continue to be very hopeful that we are getting over our third surge and hopefully will have it behind us very, very soon,” Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer said during a briefing with reporters. “The reality is, although we have a good vaccination rate and many people have received their first doses, that rate is not…