IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County Healthcare System reported Thursday the hospital’s COVID-19 wing is empty, reflecting at least a temporary drop in the number of positive cases.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that type of census,” said Sue Hadley, director of nursing, during a hospital board Zoom meeting. No coronavirus patients were in intensive care as well, she said.

As of Wednesday, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department has reported 67 COVID-19 deaths in Dickinson County, mostly from mid-October through December. Iron County has had 39 deaths to date, including five in the past two weeks.

Hadley shared no vaccine numbers but said DCH has allocated all of its Pfizer shipments and is positioned to provide the needed second doses. “We hope to get more allocations in the future,” she said.

As of Jan. 20, DCH had reported receiving 4,875 doses. The hospital is a regional COVID-19 vaccine provider but has no control over the size of its shipments, CEO Chuck Nelson explained.

“We are really at the mercy … or at the direction … of the state,” he said. He praised hospital staff working in conjunction with the health agency for “managing access as best we can.”

With the health department organizing appointments for vaccination priority groups, demand has far exceeded supply.

In other action, the hospital board:

— Selected a $918,859 bid from Miron Construction of Neenah, Wis., for a three-phase renovation of the emergency department. The project will be done over a six-month period and will include 70% local worker participation, said Meghan Rossato, DCH director of operations. “This will be huge upgrade for our community,” she said, mentioning improved patient privacy and infection control.

— Heard CFO Brian Donahue report 86 days of cash on hand as of the end of November. That is down from 118 days reported in June, but also comes in the wake of an Oct. 17 malware attack for which the hospital continues to seek insurance reimbursement. Donahue acknowledged a financial loss in November but stated no figures. DCH had a year-to-date positive bottom line of $3.92 million through September, but no update has been released since.

— Adopted the 2021 budget. Donahue is projecting a 2% operating margin, or profit, with $2.8 million in capital spending to be funded out of operations. No other figures were discussed.

— Learned from Nelson the hospital’s application for a $16.9 million Rural Development loan has advanced to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C., with further word expected in “the next couple of weeks.” The hospital hopes to use the funds to refinance long-term debt and acquire new equipment. Even without confirmation of the federal loan, the board approved $3 million to $4 million in purchases in December.

— Elected officers for 2021. Margaret Minerick returns as chairperson, David Holmes will serve as vice chair and Dr. John To is secretary. “I think we’re going to do great things in the next couple of years,” Minerick said. She thanked former trustees David Brisson and Jeff Campbell for exemplary service and welcomed new members Paul Bujold and Alyssa Hartwig.

— Approved hiring physicians in urology and orthopedics, which Nelson said is important to the hospital’s “overall viability moving forward.”