Six NEW COVID cases in Clare outbreak, five sent to hospital

Nursing home outbreak infects 30

Six more cases of covid-19 were reported at a Clare county nursing home friday. That outbreak and another one last week, were responsible for most of the county’s seven new hospitalizations.

Two residents and four staff at Northwoods Nursing Center, 2532W. Cadillac Dr., in Farwell, tested positive for the disease as of Friday’s update from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It brings the outbreak to 30 people, 15 residents and 15 staff.

That outbreak is the second Clare County nursing home outbreak in the last two weeks. Last week, eight cases — six residents and two staff — were reported at Medilodge of Clare, 600 SE 4th St.

Between the two, five of those cases required the person involved to spend at least some time in the hospital, said Steve hall, Central michigan District Health Department.

Clare County has one hospital, Midmichigan

Health- Clare, which has 49 beds. The surge in hospitalizations didn’t stress the hospital’s capacity, MidMichigan officials said Friday morning.

“This week we became aware of COVID outbreaks at two different congregant living facilities in the area,” said marita HattemSchiffman, president, MidMichigan Medical Centers in Clare, Gratiot and Mt. Pleasant. “A small number of those affected required hospitalization. Midmichigan Medical Center– Clare cared for patients who needed a hospital level of care until they were stable for discharge. Any patient who required critical care was transferred to a facility with an intensive care unit. The Medical Center had capacity for patients at all times this week and continues to care for a few of these COVID positive patients.”

Although the Clare hospital indicates that it has an intensive care unit, Midmichigan spokeswoman Millie Jezior said Friday that there is no ICU unit in Clare, and they’d only activate one for surging cases if staff could be relocated to staff one

The six new cases at North Woods were part of 13 new cases reported in Clare County on Friday, bringing the county’s total to 175, with six deaths.

Isabella County also saw a double- digit increase in cases of 12, bringing its cumulative total to 793, with 15 deaths. By contrast, Gratiot County had only two new cases, bringing its cumulative total to 330, with 16 deaths.

Elsewhere, another death was reported in Montcalm County, where eight people have died. Ten more cases were reported there for a cumulative total of 420. In Mecosta County, 18 additional cases were reported for a cumulative total of 324, with four deaths.

Four more cases were reported in Gladwin County, for a cumulative total of 133, with two deaths. In Midland County, 11 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 653, with 13 deaths.

Statewide, another 2,015 cases were announced for a cumulative total of 143,106. Another 14 deaths were reported for a total of 6,987.