COVID cases rise to new seasonal high

The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department says they will be prioritizing contact tracing efforts for high-risk cases, namely nursing homes and potential school outbreaks. The decision comes as COVID activity hits a six-month high for the period ending September 29th. Over seven days, Houghton County recorded 78 cases. Luckily, that is still significantly less than a year ago. The New York Times COVID tracker lists the seven-day average for cases for the same period in 2020 at 27, or approximately 190 per week.

There were 29 cases in Baraga County and four in Keweenaw for a regional total of 111. Houghton County also registered four deaths. Fifty-one people have died from COVID since the beginning of the pandemic in the county.

The full table is below.