Local COVID-19 Numbers Unchanged

The number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in the Copper Country held steady last week, even as cases across the state spiked upward.

Figures from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services showed 90 confirmed cases in Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon Counties. That compares to 91 in the previous week.

Statewide, after ebbing a bit two weeks ago, the average number of daily diagnoses shot up to 2,798 – a 45 percent increase. Sixty-eight of Michigan’s 83 counties now grade out in the highest-risk category, including the entire western U.P.

Officials caution that actual infection rates are probably much higher. Positive results from private tests are frequently not reported. Some cases with few or no symptoms may go undiagnosed, even though those infected can still transmit the virus to others.