UPDATED: Western Upper Peninsula Health Department reports COVID-19 testing statistics

HANCOCK -- The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) is reporting cumulative COVID-19 testing statistics for the five-county jurisdiction (Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties).

UPDATED: These testing statistics are current as of April 1, 2020:

Referred for Testing: 
Houghton County leads the five with 67 referred. Gogebic is next with 43; Baraga reports 17; Ontonagon 11; and Keweenaw 8.

Tests cancelled:
Houghton 9, Keweenaw 2, Ontonagon 2, Baraga 1 and Gogebic 1.

Positives:
Gogebic 3, Houghton 1. Zero positives in the other 3 counties.

Negatives:
Houghton 37, Gogebic 22, Baraga 5, Keweenaw 5, and Ontonagon 4.

Tests pending:
Gogebic 17, Houghton 20, Baraga 11, Ontonagon 5, and Keweenaw 1.

Deaths:
So far only one death, as previously reported, in Gogebic County.

UPDATE: Canceled tests are those tests that a healthcare provider decided not to submit after other diagnostic procedures confirmed a different illness or a clinical decision was made to not test after a referral was already assigned to the system. Most canceled tests were done early on in the process. The process has improved and additional guidance is now available to all healthcare providers.

WUPHD will not be separately reporting cases other than the first positive in each county. Residents should behave as though the virus may be present when they are in public places in the community, including businesses and buildings that are open under the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-21.*

Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 should self-isolate for 14 days to avoid potentially exposing others. Remember, the symptoms of COVID-19 are not your usual runny nose and sneezing. Instead, COVID-19 symptoms include fever of >100.4, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. If you feel well, you do not need to be tested. If you do become ill, call your doctor before going in to the office. Testing will be determined based on a risk assessment.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, people should do the following:

• Stay home if they are sick
• Wash their hands frequently
• Avoid close contact with sick people
• Disinfect commonly touched surfaces
• Avoid touching your face; avoid shaking hands
• Follow suggested guidelines for social distancing 

WUPHD is working to coordinate its response with federal, state, and local officials, as well as healthcare professionals, institutions, schools, and community organizations. For more information, please contact the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department at (906) 482-7382. Updates are also available at www.wuphd.org.

A local COVID-19 informational call line is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT at (906) 487-5545. A State informational hotline is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT seven days per week. That number is 1-888-535-6136. Additional information on COVID-19 can be found on the MDHHS website  (www.michigan.gov/coronavirus) or the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/).

* Click here for Governor Whitmer's Executive Order 2020-21.

UPDATED April 4: Editor's Note: According to a new page on county cases from michigan.gov, confirmed cases in Michigan counties now number a total of 14,225 with 540 deaths as of 3 p.m. April 4. However, this State report contains an error for Houghton County. The Western UP Health Dept. reports still only one positive case in Houghton County. The State has been made aware of the error and it should be corrected by Monday, Apr. 6. Click here for this new page and see our right-hand column for updates or corrections. (Note that City of Detroit is reported separately from Wayne County.)