Eighty die of COVID in last two months
At least 80 residents of Isabella, Gratiot and Clare counties have died from COVID-19 in the last two months, according to state records. That includes a number that is nearly one-quarter of Isabella County’s total death toll from the disease.
As of Oct. 13, Isabella County’s death toll from the virus was 106. It had grown 34 to 140 as of Monday, an increase of 24 percent.
During the same period, the cumulative total number of cases increased by 17 percent, increasing by 1,554 from 7,610 to 9,164. It is the only of the three counties to see that dramatic increase in the death toll.
At least 21 percent of Clare County’s total COVID-19 deaths have occurred in the last two months, or at least 25 deaths. As of Oct. 13, 96 Clare County residents had died from COVID-19, increasing to 119
as of Monday.
Meanwhile, 25 percent of the county’s cumulative total of confirmed cases — 1,107 of 4,191 — have been documented in the last two months.
Although Gratiot County has had a larger overall number of COVID deaths at 142, only 14.7 percent — of 21 — have occurred in the last two months. Of the county’s cumulative total 5,328 COVID-19 cases, 17.8 percent — 953 — were reported since Oct. 13, when the county’s cumulative total of confirmed cases was 4,375.
A message inquiring about the age groups and vaccination status of Isabella and Clare counties, two of the most significant determining factors and sent to Central Michigan District Health Department hasn’t received a response.
CMDHD serves Isabella and Clare counties in addition to Gladwin, Roscommon, Arenac and Osceola. Gratiot County is served by Mid-michigan District Health Department, which hasn’t released information about local deaths since before last Christmas.
It is possible that more people across the three counties have died from the disease during that time period. The state conducts periodic reviews of death certificates within 30 days of a person’s death and regularly revises death numbers when they find one for which COVID-19 was declared a cause of death and which is not recorded in the state’s disease surveillance network.
In the past, the majority of COVID-19 deaths have continued to be among elderly people, and age is believed to be the most significant risk factor. But during the current surge of cases, driven by the Delta variant, the number of unvaccinated middle-aged people has increased rapidly.
According to the latest patient census from Mymichigan Health, the vast majority of COVID-19 patients hospitalized (122 of 146), the vast majority of people in intensive care (32 of 34) and all but one on a ventilator (15 of 16) were unvaccinated. The census was taken Friday.
The situation in local hospitals, where officials have said that the current surge of cases is sapping their ability to continue delivering health care, hasn’t changed in the last two weeks, said Marita Hattem-schiffman, regional president for Mymichigan Health.
A total of 177 Isabella County residents have received hospital care for COVID-19, and 167 Clare County residents have received care for COVID-19, according to CMDHD’S latest case data.