Muskegon not out of the woods as COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to climb – mlive.com

MUSKEGON, MI As COVID-19 vaccinations are poised to begin in Muskegon, the public health director urged residents who are not out of the woods to keep their guard up against the disease that claimed another 24 lives in the past week.

Mercy Health Muskegon received 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this week, said Muskegon County Public Health Director Kathy Moore. The vaccine first will go to hospital workers who are caring for COVID patients, Moore said.

She predicted the vaccine will be available for anyone who wants it by March or April of 2021.

The arrival of the vaccine comes at a time when cases in the county are still very high far higher than the prior peak in the spring.

Were not below our initial peak in April and May, Moore told MLive. We are down from the mountain peak that was in mid-November.

The health department on Wednesday, Dec. 16, reported 8,691 total cases, which is an increase of 510 cases since Dec. 9. Deaths stood at 227, up 24 from the 203 deaths the state reported for the county on Dec. 9.

Moore said the county did not experience a surge in cases that was feared after Thanksgiving. She encouraged citizens to continue keeping their distance, wearing masks and following exceptional hygiene through the Christmas and New Year holidays and beyond.

I wont be ready to say were out of the woods or were definitely moving downward until mid-January, Moore said.

Of the 227 deaths recorded in the county since March, two-thirds 141 -- occurred since the beginning of November, county statistics show. During November, an average of more than three people died of COVID-19 a day in Muskegon County. The average so far this month is 2 per day.

There were 78 people hospitalized with COVID-19 at Mercy Health on Dec. 17, the health department reported. Of those, 15 were in intensive care 10 of them on ventilators, according to the health department.

That compares with a high of 152 inpatients recorded in November, said Dr. Justin Grill, chief medical officer for Mercy Health Muskegon. The peak in the spring was 32 inpatients, he said.

Mercy Health has brought in health care workers to help care for COVID-19 patients, and they will remain at least until any spikes from the Christmas and New Year holidays occur, he said.

Were not really anxious to send our travelers home until were very confident were not going to have another spike, Grill said.

The new cases in the county are not attributable to any particular school or industry, but rather are in the general community, Moore said. The most severe and critical cases are in older age groups, Moore said.

Among the groups who will be prioritized for vaccinations are those who live in communal living situations, including nursing homes, Moore said. She is making determinations regarding essential workers, saying she moved jail corrections officers into a high priority group and moved teachers of those with special needs ahead of other teachers because of the close proximity with which they need to work with their students, who often have trouble following masking and social distancing directives.

The biggest challenge is prioritizing essential workers, Moore said. Everybody wants to be moved up the list Im really trying to base it on risk exposure.

The plan for vaccinations is evolving and involves the use of CVS and Walgreens pharmacies for help administering them, she said. Large health clinics, including Hackley Community Care and Mercy Family Care in addition to large group practices, likely will vaccinate their own patients while patients of smaller practices probably will get invitations to community vaccination events, she said.

The health department is working with communications officials from various community organizations, such as Rotary, United Way and the Chamber of Commerce, to share messaging about the importance and safety of the vaccine, Moore said.

I feel like the political atmosphere this year did not encourage or promote trust in government, she said. Were asking our community partners to get the message out.

The Michigan Department of Corrections on Wednesday reported a total of 1,108 cases, 54 of them active, among prisoners and 83 among staff at Muskegon Correctional Facility, where nine inmates have died of COVID-19. Brooks Correctional Facility has had 825 cases among inmates, 316 of them active, and 77 among staff, with one inmate death, according to the department.

Ottawa County reported a total of 17,129 cases and 217 deaths as of Wednesday, up 1,124 cases and 23 deaths from Dec. 9.

Oceana County reported on Wednesday 1,457 total cases and 32 deaths.

Also on MLive:

Dont visit your grandparents quite yet, even if they get the vaccine

Healthcare workers demand safer conditions during COVID-19 at Muskegon hospital

Spring Lake woman dies in head-on crash in Ottawa County

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Muskegon not out of the woods as COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to climb - mlive.com