MARQUETTE — A new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 vaccination site is now open at Westwood Mall in Marquette Township.

The site, inside the previous MC Sports location, offers primary and booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for individuals ages 12 and over, the Marquette County Health Department said. People are asked to follow the posted signage for entrance to the location.

Appointments can be made through the scheduling link at mqthealth.org. Vaccination appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Anyone needing help with scheduling can call 906-475-9977 and follow the prompts.

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, and antigen testing through MDHHS has been relocated at Westwood Mall inside the former MC Sports location. The entrance to the testing site is accessible through the outside entrance on the west side of the mall. Testing hours are 1 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Medical director provides updates

Dr. Bob Lorinser, MCHD medical director, on Thursday issued a statement about the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the county.

What he called the “metric of real importance” needs to move from cases to the consequences of COVID, such as hospitalizations, deaths, long-term COVID and the impact of other measures, he said.

Lorinser indicated that the last one-month surge of COVID-19 presumed to be the omicron variant has not led to the proportional increases in hospitalizations and deaths as the previous surge. However, he noted since that hospitalizations and deaths lag following the initial infections, “we are not out of the woods yet.”

“There seems to not be any indication of a waning of cases from this current surge,” Lorinser said. “Public health and acceptance of the message from my perspective is waning.”

Lorinser acknowledged that the public’s acceptance of COVID-19 mitigation strategy risks and benefits from MCHD, MDHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seems to be a “bell shape of complete acceptance or rejection, with most in the middle accepting and disregarding based on their own determined risk and benefit determination.”

He reported that MDHHS still is rationing current oral antivirals and monoclonal antibodies, with antivirals not available locally and monoclonals in limited supply.

Lorinser also expressed concern over reporting protocols for at-home tests.

“It is my understanding that home testing for COVID is called ‘suspect’ and is not included in case rates and counts for Michigan,” Lorinser said. “I find this problematic since we recommend home testing and the more it is done the less accurate the recording of cases will be.”

MCHD reported recent daily cases: Jan. 13, 100; Jan. 14, 255; Jan. 15, 229; Jan. 16, 95; Jan. 17, 196; Jan. 18, 247; and Jan. 19, 187.

MCHD also reported that as of Sunday, the county had a 37.25% positivity rate.

Data through Monday shows that in the previous seven days, new admissions in the county have decreased by 3.23%. The percentage of beds used is 15.35% for an increase of 1.74%. The percentage of intensive care unit beds is 29.17%, which is down 5.95%.

There have been five deaths since Dec. 19, a referral date that marks the estimated start of the omicron wave, MCHD said. There have been 101 total deaths since the start of the pandemic for the county.

SWP honored for pandemic work

The Michigan Heroes Project, a program of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan Community Service Commission, has recognized the Superior Watershed Partnership for its efforts during the pandemic.

SWP said in a news release that its staff stepped up as infections began to rise in the spring of 2020. At a time before the vaccine, SWP mobilized its Great Lakes Climate Corps to staff food-distribution events and deliver food and basic necessities to those with mobility impairments, the elderly and others at increased risk for severe complications from COVID-19.

GLCC members later transitioned to partnering with tribal, federal, state and local partners including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Hiawatha National Forest and Marquette County to reopen outdoor recreational access that had closed due to the pandemic and faced challenges reopening with limited staff.

Trails were cleared of winter debris and campsites were prepared for Michiganders and visitors seeking outdoor adventure after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders ended, SWP said.

Additionally, many SWP staff transitioned to serving as contract tracers with MCHD to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community, it said. SWP provided its large tent — and staff to assemble it — to Northern Michigan University and other community groups to host socially distant outdoor entertainment, including movie nights, theater and live music performances.

Whitmer asks for more test kits

Whitmer has asked MDHHS to begin distributing more than 200,000 test kits to schools and other priority groups, with another 100,000 slated to go out this week, the governor’s office said.

These large-scale shipments are being made per a request from Whitmer to get every test kit the state has available out to ensure availability of testing for the state’s most vulnerable residents during the omicron surge.

“Tests are critical keeping Michiganders safe and controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Whitmer said in a statement.

MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said antigen and over-the-counter tests allow Michiganders to quickly determine if they are positive for the virus and take actions to isolate and seek treatment if needed.

“We strongly urge all Michiganders ages 5 and older to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine and their booster dose when eligible, as the vaccine is our best defense against the virus,” Hertel said in a statement.

Demand for these tests has grown over recent months with nearly 700,000 tests shipped out in the first two weeks of January, and over 1 million tests to be distributed this month alone, the governor’s office said. January will represent the largest distribution of tests in a single month from the MDHHS program.

This week, more than 200,000 test kits will have been sent to the following groups: schools, 117,740; long-term care facilities, 67,680; local health departments, 6,936; jails, 5,640; camps, 2,000; shelters, 1,320; seasonal workers, 600; juvenile justice facilities, 480; and first responders, 66.

Order to protect nursing homes

MDHHS has issued an epidemic order to further protect residents in nursing homes across the state by ensuring residents have the opportunity to get up to date on COVID-19 vaccines at the nursing home where they reside.

“With the omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to remain high, we want to make sure our most vulnerable Michiganders are protected from the virus,” Hertel said in a Thursday news release. “The COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against the virus, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get up to date.”

Under the order, nursing homes must offer on-site doses of COVID-19 vaccines to residents who are not up to date as of Jan. 20 within 30 days of the effective date of the order.

MDHHS indicated that nothing in the order requires nursing home residents to get vaccinated. Nursing homes are encouraged to provide informational materials about COVID-19 vaccines so that residents can make informed choices. Materials can be located on the MDHHS Long-Term Care COVID-19 Plan website, located at bit.ly/3tJ58y1.

For residents who are unable to make their own medical decisions, nursing homes are required to contact the individual legally authorized to make medical decisions on behalf of the resident and make them aware of the availability of COVID-19 booster doses on site, MDDHS said.

Nursing homes must document a resident’s consent or refusal of an offered COVID-19 vaccine, it said. Regarding residents who are unable to make their own medical decisions, nursing homes must document the consent, assent or refusal of the offered COVID-19 vaccine made by a person authorized to make medical decisions on behalf of the resident.

Skilled nursing homes were among the first groups offered vaccinations in December 2020 when the COVID-19 vaccine became available, MDHHS said. First and second doses have been offered at 100% of the facilities in the state, with 74% of eligible Michigan nursing home residents having already received their booster dose.

As of Thursday, nearly 2.6 million booster and third doses have been administered in the state, with nearly 1 million of those doses provided to Michiganders ages 65 and older, MDHHS reported.

The agency noted that under previous executive directives signed by Whitmer, the state of Michigan has prioritized booster doses for residents in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and adult foster care, and has been working to expedite delivery of third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to residents who have compromised immune systems.