Confirmed and likely cases of COVID-19 are rising rapidly in St. Joseph County, according to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph County Community Health Agency (BHSJCHA). At the end of last week, Health Officer Rebecca Burns reported cases rose by 21 percent in seven days, from 167 total cases on Saturday, June 13, 2020 up to 202 cases the following Saturday, June 20.
This continued a similar trend from the previous week showing a total increase of 38 percent between June 6 and June 20.
“We seem to have community transmission going on right now,” Burns said. “Individuals are interacting with others without wearing masks or taking other protection measures. This is such a highly contagious virus; it’s just moving rapidly.”
The local increase is contrary to statewide trends. New cases per day peaked throughout Michigan during early April. They have gradually declined since then, except for a brief spike in mid-May. Over the same period, the number of new cases per day in St. Joseph County varied between one and 10, but overall showed a steady increase.
The average rate of testing across the state stands at 110,789 tests per million people; in St. Joseph County, it is 55,518 per million, or about half the statewide rate. BHSJCHA has been operating pop-up test sites at various locations for the past several weeks.
As of Wednesday, there have been 68,555 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 statewide since the pandemic began, with 6,114 of them resulting in death. In Michigan, 1,107,403 people have been tested for the virus to date. In St. Joseph County, there have been 229 confirmed cases, 13 probable cases, and three deaths, while 3,389 people have been tested.
Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry said the recent uptick is worrisome.
“It’s alarming. Michigan has been one of the better states. I credit the governor listening to health professionals and scientists,” Lowry said. “We stayed in lockdown one of the longest of the states, but we came out well because of it, so the fact that the stats have gone up alarms me. It just says that if you’re out in a public space, you should mask. It’s still so important.”
Lowry says city hall is open with limited hours, but an anticipated expansion of open hours in early July is likely to be postponed. Meetings of the city commission and other public boards and agencies continue to take place via Zoom, the online meeting platform.
HOTSPOT EMERGES IN STURGIS
In a press release issued Wednesday, BHSJCHA notified citizens of another possible hotspot. Persons who sought care at the Center for Health & Wellness (CHW) of Sturgis should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. Four staff members at CHW have tested positive for the virus.
“Any patients who had close contact with a staff member at CHW and either the patient or staff member were not wearing a mask are further asked to self-quarantine for 14 days,” the release read. Previous hotspots have occurred at several manufacturing facilities and other workplaces around the county.
OFFICIALS MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, LOCAL COMPANIES STEP IN TO HELP
Burns’ staff has been working to adjust to the pandemic. “We contact every known case and do an investigation. That’s a phone call conversation. There is more work because we have more people to call. We have taken people and reassigned them over the course of our COVID response,” Burns said.
St. Joseph County Emergency Manager Erin Goff and her staff have also been adjusting since the pandemic began.
“We continue to work with all our stakeholders. We collaborate together in the emergency operations center. We meet weekly, but we communicate more often as necessary,” Goff said. “And really, since public health is the lead in this situation, our ongoing objectives really are to support the BHSJCHA, and then beyond all of that, whatever we get them, also to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders, hospitals, so that’s what I spend a lot of my days doing is driving around, connecting the supplies with the places that need it.”
Goff credits local suppliers with making her work easier.
“Our agencies are well stocked, and we’ve been fortunate with so many generous donations,” she said. “I smile when I look in my office closet, it’s just crammed with supplies. When Sturgis hospital called and said they were really running low on gowns, we had received a very generous sharing of gowns that Covered Bridge Healthcare had extra and I was able to give them. Everybody’s preparing so that we’re ready for things like this increase.”
Goff continued, “Freeman Manufacturing in Sturgis has switched over and started making level one and two gowns, so the lower the level the lighter the material. Covered Bridge Healthcare has a funding source they were able to share with stuff, and were able to purchase (the gowns from Freeman). There is a supplier in Elkhart that has been able to get some things, but they’re an importer. Safety Glasses U.S.A. in Three Rivers are also a supplier that has been very helpful. They have things like face shields and mask that they were able to get right away. Everybody wants to help. I was the one reaching out to them for help, and every single one of them said, ‘what can we do, what do you need?’”
Goff stressed the importance of proper mask use. “Of course, the increase in cases is concerning. It also makes sense, because things are reopening and people are interacting with each other. Social distancing and mask usage are really important to stop the spread. I can’t emphasize that part enough.
“I live in the community, I go around, and it’s sometimes difficult because I see people who are trying. They’re wearing their mask but they might be wearing it on their chin or under their nose, and you might as well not be wearing one at all. So, properly wearing a mask is just as important as actually wearing it. Really those are the things that can help stop the spread.”
Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
