Dickinson, Iron virus tolls rise

IRON MOUNTAIN — Both Dickinson and Iron counties recorded two more deaths blamed on COVID-19 earlier this week, along with 64 and 49 new confirmed cases of the virus, respectively, local data showed Wednesday.

Dickinson County also had 62 probable coronavirus positives from Nov. 19 through Wednesday and Iron County eight probables, according to the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department.

Dickinson County in that five-day period had 70 people reclassified as recovered from the virus, while Iron County had 28 recovered cases, the DIDHD listed in its Facebook post Wednesday.

The DIDHD had Dickinson County at 3,336 confirmed positives and 1,210 probable cases to date, with 3,896 recovered, 87 deaths and 563 cases still active. For Iron County, the agency had 1,509 confirmed cases and 171 probables, with 1,369 recovered, 62 deaths and 249 active cases.

Figures on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website Wednesday indicated 450 new confirmed COVID-19 positives in the Upper Peninsula since Monday: 104 in Houghton County, 75 in Marquette County, 45 in Delta County, 42 in Dickinson County, 33 in Chippewa County, 32 in Menominee and Gogebic counties, 21 in Iron County, 16 in Mackinac County, 13 in Schoolcraft and Baraga counties, seven in Alger and Keweenaw counties, six in Ontonagon County, and four in Luce County. The state had two more virus-related deaths in both Delta and Houghton counties, and one each in Dickinson and Iron counties in that time period.

Using only the MDHHS numbers, the Upper Peninsula as of Wednesday has had 32,129 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 571 deaths.

Across the U.P., the MDHHS data site Wednesday had Keweenaw County at 310 confirmed cases and 41 probable, and seven confirmed deaths and one probable death; Luce County, 401 confirmed cases and 439 probable, four confirmed deaths and one probable death; Ontonagon County, 609 confirmed, 76 probable and 22 deaths, one probable; Alger County, 621 confirmed, 347 probable and four deaths, five probable; Schoolcraft County, 710 confirmed cases and 268 probable, five deaths and one probable; Mackinac County, 964 confirmed cases and 496 probable, 13 deaths and one probable; Baraga County, 1,167 confirmed cases, 202 probable and 44 deaths, two probable; Iron County, 1,506 confirmed cases and 168 probable, 52 deaths and 11 probable; Gogebic County, 1,630 confirmed cases and 422 probable, 27 deaths and 29 probable; Chippewa County, 1,838 confirmed cases and 2,565 probable, and 44 deaths, 10 probable; Menominee County, 2,823 confirmed cases, 988 probable and 47 deaths, five probable; Dickinson County, 3,329 confirmed cases and 1,206 probable, 69 deaths and 17 probable; Houghton County, 4,307 confirmed cases, 828 probable, 51 deaths and 10 probable; Delta County, 5,298 confirmed cases and 1,199 probable, 99 deaths and 20 probable; and Marquette County, 6,616 confirmed cases, 1,451 probable and 83 deaths, five probable. State figures can lag behind local reports or have other discrepancies.

The MDHHS had 17,003 confirmed new coronavirus positives in Michigan for Tuesday and Wednesday, or an average of about 8,502 per day for the two-day period, for a total to date of 1,276,264. The state in those two days added 280 deaths attributed to the virus — including 143 that occurred earlier but were recently verified through a vital records review — to reach 23,595.

The state issues new COVID-19 data on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, this week no new figures will be provided today due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

For the five Wisconsin counties in the region, the state Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 data site Wednesday had 98 new confirmed positives in Marinette County, 25 in Forest County, 21 in Vilas County, nine in Iron County, two in Florence County. The only additional death was in Marinette County.

The DHS data site Wednesday had Marinette County with 6,645 confirmed cases, 1,296 probable cases and 73 deaths, nine probable deaths; Vilas County, 3,207 confirmed, 175 probable and 56 deaths, four probable; Forest County, 1,535 confirmed, 127 probable and 29 deaths, four probable; Iron County, 765 confirmed, 186 probable and 21 deaths, 21 probable; and Florence County, 573 confirmed, 127 probable and 14 deaths.

Wisconsin data Wednesday showed 7,986 more positives in the state since Monday for a total of 859,711 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date. The state recorded 84 more virus-related deaths in the two-day period to reach 8,944.