Ottawa County's COVID-19 Response Updates - Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Ottawa County, Michigan sent this bulletin at 05/27/2020 12:04 AM EDT

Ottawa County I Tuesday, May 26

Latest Video Updates I Previous Bulletins
Media Contact: Kristina Wieghmink, OCDPH public information officer
kwieghmink@miottawa.org I mobile/text 616-510-8523

**The Facebook LIVE briefings and bulletin updates are provided every Tuesday, or as needed, until further notice.**

We are saddened to report additional deaths. A female in her 80s, a female in her 70s, a male in his 80s, a female in her 50s and a male in his 30s - all who had underlying health conditions. Our thoughts go out to her family during this difficult time.

Case Summary

The Ottawa County total case count for today is 787 cases from 788 cases yesterday. Upon public health investigations, some of the cases have been referred to their right jurisdictions (the county where they reside) and some of the probable cases were also reclassified following clinical judgements from our medical team.

Case Map

During the dashboard update last weekend, we had a glitch where the ZIP code data was pulling from an outdated table. The issue has been resolved with the most up-to-date ZIP code level counts.

Deceased Cases

Case Comparisions

Sources: Michigan Disease Surveillance System, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Census Bureau, 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

Concerned about testing?

Call one of the hospital screening numbers or find testing sites.

Holland Hospital:
(616) 394-2080

North Ottawa Community Hospital:
(616) 935-7810

Spectrum Health:
(616) 391-2380

COVID-19 Test Finder

In addition to the COVID-19 information, Ottawa County is reminding everyone to complete their 2020 Census. Counting everyone in the 2020 Census can help communities receive funding for health care, education, emergency services and more. Lawmakers, business owners and many others will use the 2020 Census data to make critical decisions for communities nationwide.

If you have already responded to the 2020 Census—thank you and please encourage others to respond. If you have not yet responded online or by phone, you may receive a paper questionnaire so you can respond by mail. More information is available at 2020census.gov.

Click for the state and local COVID-19 resource list

English I Spanish

Governor Gives State Update Today about Testing & New Online Dashboard

The governor was joined by MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Dr. Emily Martin, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and Beverly Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Better Health of Michigan, a subsidiary of CVS Health

WATCH BRIEFING I PRESENTATION SLIDES

New online dashboard provides COVID-19 risk and trend data, helps inform MI Safe Start plan

A new, online dashboard launched today that visually illustrates COVID-19 risks and trends in Michigan, providing residents with important information about the pandemic status where they live and work. Developed through a collaboration between the Michigan departments of Health and Human Services and Labor and Economic Opportunity and the University of Michigan, dashboard data is divided into Michigan Economic Recovery Committee (MERC) regions.

MERC regions were developed by merging Michigan's Emergency Preparedness Regions and Michigan's labor sheds – the major areas of the state where people live and travel to work based on U.S. Department of Labor data – so that any outbreak resulting from a return to work could be handled effectively under public health laws.

Ottawa County Falls in the Grand Rapids Region.

Data as of Fri May 22, 2020 (excludes correctional facilities). Average over previous seven days.

MDHHS Expands COVID-19 Testing Criteria to Better Protect Residents

Greater access is important as Michigan reopens state economy

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced today it is greatly expanding testing criteria for COVID-19 to provide access to additional residents who do not have symptoms but are at risk.

The new criteria includes asymptomatic patients who are preparing for surgery if testing is deemed necessary by the treating health professional. It also includes asymptomatic people who have known exposure to someone who has COVID-19 or symptoms, or who work in a profession that puts them at high risk of exposure due to close contact with the public, such as dental technicians, or to COVID-19 outbreaks in certain industries like at food processing facilities

READ MORE

Additional Food Assistance Benefits in Response to COVID-19 Emergency Extended Through May

Approximately 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits in the month of May in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The additional food assistance was initially approved for March and April – and now that is being extended for May.

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Michigan Announces Change in Reporting of COVID-19 Testing Data

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) today changed the way it reports data on COVID-19 testing. The change makes the data more accurate and relevant as the state continues to expand diagnostic testing to help slow and contain the spread of COVID-19. The update to the website separates out the results of two different types of tests – serology and diagnostic. Michigan – along with some other states – has not separated data for diagnostic and serology tests.

Data on serology testing – also known as antibody testing – is separated from the other testing numbers. Currently, serology testing can be used to help determine whether someone has ever had COVID-19, while traditional viral diagnostic tests determine if someone has active disease.

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Food and Ag Industry Continues to Donate to
Michigan’s Food Banks
Michigan potatoes, beans, dairy products and other foods headed to families in need across the state

Michigan potatoes, dry beans, dairy products and more are headed to struggling families across the state, thanks to the continued generosity of our state’s food and agriculture businesses. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today recognized several Michigan food and agriculture businesses for their donations to the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) and other non-profits as part of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Initiative launched earlier this month. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has partnered with the Governor’s Office and the FBCM seeking donations of food and funds as part of the initiative.

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