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Fifth virus death in Iron County as cases keep climbing

Local health officials Wednesday reported a fifth coronavirus-related death in Iron County, its fourth attributed to COVID-19 in a week’s time.

No other information was released on that person, as has been the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department’s practice in the past. The DIDHD on Wednesday updated its figures to show eight additional COVID-19 positives in Iron County for 201 confirmed cases and six probables, with 31 recovered, five deaths and 171 cases still active. Dickinson County had seven new positives for 159 confirmed cases and three probables, with 65 recovered, two deaths and 95 cases still active.

Across the border in Wisconsin, the Florence County School District informed the community Tuesday an “individual” at the elementary school has tested positive for COVID-19. In a letter posted on the district’s Facebook page, Administrator Ben Niehaus said the individual will not be allowed to return before completing isolation requirements. The district and Florence County Health Department are working to identify, notify and quarantine any students and staff who may be traced as a close contact.

Niehaus said Florence County schools will continue in-person classes for now.

The virus’s escalation in the Upper Peninsula continued Wednesday, with Michigan’s COVID-19 data site indicating a one-day increase in Delta County of 80 new positives, for a total of 499 confirmed cases. On its website, Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties lists 501 confirmed cases in Delta County and 367 cases in Menominee County, two above the state’s tally for both.

Elsewhere in the Upper Peninsula, the state’s COVID-19 data had 37 new positives in Houghton County, 15 in Dickinson and Menominee counties, eight in Marquette County, six in Iron County, five in Mackinac County, two in Gogebic and Keweenaw counties and one each in Baraga, Chippewa and Ontonagon counties. While the state listed a new death in Houghton County, that could not be confirmed through the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department’s online sites.

For Wisconsin counties in the region, that state’s data site Wednesday listed 28 new cases in Marinette County, 10 in Vilas County, five in Forest County and two in Florence County. It also reduced Iron County’s count by one.

On Facebook, the Forest County Health Department reports five new positives for 295, with 48 still active and six hospitalized. Vilas County has 20 new cases since Monday, with only one currently hospitalized.

In total for the Upper Peninsula, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday had Keweenaw County with 10 confirmed cases and one probable; Luce County, 12 confirmed cases and one probable; Alger County, 17 confirmed and two probable; Baraga County, 27 confirmed cases, nine probable and two deaths; Schoolcraft County, 27 confirmed cases and two probable; Ontonagon County, 42 confirmed and one probable; Mackinac County, 49 confirmed cases and 19 probable; Chippewa County, 51 confirmed cases and 29 probable; Gogebic County, 153 confirmed cases, 14 probable and a death; Dickinson County, 171 confirmed cases, three probable and two deaths; Iron County, 199 confirmed cases, four probable and four deaths; Marquette County, 335 confirmed cases, 61 probable and 12 deaths; Menominee County, 365 confirmed cases, 54 probable and two deaths; Houghton County, 478 confirmed cases, 84 probable and two deaths; and Delta County, 499 confirmed cases, 61 probable and eight deaths. State numbers are updated daily but can lag behind local reports — the new Iron County death, for example, is not listed — or have other discrepancies.

Using only the state figures Wednesday, the Upper Peninsula has had 2,435 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date with 33 deaths.

The MDHHS reported 1,054 confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Michigan on Wednesday for a total of 124,687 to date. The state added 11 new deaths Wednesday for a total of 6,762.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 data site Wednesday had Marinette County with 1,004 confirmed cases, 31 probable cases and eight deaths; Forest County, 294 confirmed, three probable and six deaths; Vilas County, 237 confirmed, seven probable and a death; Iron County, 142 confirmed, seven probable and one death; and Florence County, 98 confirmed and two deaths. As with the Michigan data, the state numbers are updated daily but can lag behind local reports or have other discrepancies.

Wisconsin recorded 2,319 new positives in the state Wednesday for a total of 122,274, according to the state DHS data site. The state had 27 new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday to reach 1,327.

Testing at Dickinson County Healthcare System as of Wednesday showed 39 positives from Dickinson County and 110 cases from other counties; those counties are not identified. DCHS has tested 4,298 people for COVID-19, with 149 positive, 3,992 negative and 157 results still pending. DCHS noted there are several additional sources of testing in Dickinson County.

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