Michigan’s Region 6 remains at “medium” COVID risk level; health officials request testing resources from Governor

Grand Traverse County offers free drive-through testing, July 24-25

The following is yesterday’s (July 22) public health statement from Lisa Peacock, health officer with the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department.

Test, Trace, and Protect is the slogan adopted at the state level to reflect the overarching goal of the emergency response. This reminds us that we must stay focused on the strategies that aim to contain transmission of COVID-19 in our communities. Keeping transmission low is our clear focus. Knowing that we won’t be able to completely eliminate the risk, the work of public health is focused on reducing the number of people who get the virus from any one case. Quick access to testing, especially for those with symptoms or potential exposure is critical for identifying positive cases, followed by robust case investigation to identify close contacts who need to be quarantined are the main strategies that continue to be our highest priority.

We continue to see a number of new cases each week all across northern Michigan. As we monitor the pandemic risk indicators on the Mi Safe Start Dashboard, it is important to note that Region 6 is the only region in the State that remains in the “medium” risk level. Last week we saw our neighbors to the north, Region 8 – the UP, move to a “medium-high” risk level. It was noted on the dashboard that the UP has seen a sustained rise in daily cases over 6 weeks and Region 6 cases have been rising steadily over 3 weeks. Some indicators across Region 6 are optimistic with an overall positivity rate of 1.9% (we like to see it below 3%) and daily cases/million at 11.4 (we like to see it under 7). However, there is variability across the counties in the region – the latest update to the dashboard shows a high of 5.9% positivity and 26.4 daily cases/million in Leelanau county.

Although important to monitor for heightened awareness, these numbers are only part of the picture. Hospital and public health capacity are also key components in the effort to contain the pandemic. The sharp rise in cases earlier this month quickly put a strain on public health capacity which caused us to make several adjustments in our response structure including enhanced staffing and support for contact tracing. Hospitals are reporting modest increases in COIVD inpatients from week to week but these levels continue to be manageable. Our first death in a Benzie County resident was reported last week and this just reminds us of the stark reality that this is a very serious illness and we must continue to be vigilant. As the situation continues to evolve, so do our strategies.

As we drive through our beautiful northern Michigan counties we can’t help but notice the bustling summer traffic that comes with our surge in seasonal visitors. Although we are always glad for the boost this means for our local economy, this temporary change in our population means additional strain on our local capacity. Since both Regions 6 and 8 remain in Phase 5 with most sectors of business open and larger gatherings allowed, we are attracting thousands of visitors to our area every day from other areas. This exponentially increases our population and therefore our risk for COVID-19 transmission. Of immediate and urgent concern is an extremely limited capacity for testing, lack of compliance with the Governor’s Executive Orders, including masking, as well as a disproportionate allocation of resources that does not consider the true burden of a population surge. Due to these concerns, the Health Officers and Medical Directors of Region 6 and 8 sent a letter to the Governor and MDHHS leadership last week expressing these concerns and requested assistance on several levels, including additional testing resources and clarity around enforcement details. We are encouraged by the quick responses from both parties and hopeful the situation can improve quickly so that we can protect our communities and remain in Phase 5.

In closing, we are thankful for the businesses and individuals in our communities who are working hard to do the right things. An effective response to this pandemic relies heavily on individual responsibility and we can only effectively reduce transmission by working together. We are so proud of our proactive young people featured in the local news last week who saw the impact of COVID-19 on themselves, their peers, and their local community and stepped up to raise awareness. This is a shining example of community leadership and a mature understanding of how our actions can positively influence each other. No one wanted this pandemic to happen yet here we are in the middle of it. By putting differences aside and choosing to share a positive message, these emerging adults are showing us that we CAN have an impact together.

Grand Traverse County Health Department offers no cost, drive-thru COVID-19 testing event

Due to the growing demand for testing in the Grand Traverse Region, the Grand Traverse County Health Department is partnering with Grand Traverse County, TCAPS and LynxDx to offer no-cost COVID-19 Testing on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 at Traverse City East Middle School (1776 Three Mile Road Traverse City, MI 49696).

Friday, July 24 from 3-7 p.m. and Saturday, July 25 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

“We wanted to expand the availability of tests in our area, and the times in which testing was available as well. We know that many people want to get tested, but the capacity in our region is limited and demand is high. We have been hearing stories of residents driving down to the Lansing and Grand Rapids area for testing because some of the sites locally were booked up to a week out, “ said Health Officer, Wendy Hirschenberger. “As a health department, especially with our case count more than doubling in the first two weeks of July, we felt we needed to address that gap.”

Testing is available to any Michigan resident regardless of symptoms, and is available on a first come, first served basis.

In order to be tested, you must bring a driver’s license or state ID and insurance card (There is no charge to participants for testing. If uninsured, you can still be tested and will not be charged). A doctor’s order is not needed. Those interested can pre-register and fill out paperwork to expedite their experience once at the testing site by visiting this website.

“We learned a lot from our event that we partnered up with the Michigan National Guard for. Although, we had a fast throughput, we determined that the process could be made even smoother if people had an opportunity to fill out paperwork prior to arriving and getting in line,” said Emergency Preparedness Director, Mike Lahey. “We want the experience to be as simple as possible for both those getting tested and our staff.”

The two-day event will be staffed by members of the Grand Traverse County Health Department, Grand Traverse County employees, local partner volunteers and members of LynxDx, a diagnostic laboratory out of Ann Arbor, Mich.

“We identified LynxDx through great experiences our neighboring local health departments had working with them. The assistance the lab provided in swabbing community members and the consistent and effective turnaround time of about 72 hours for results made it an easy decision for our department to establish a partnership with them,“ said Lahey.

“Additionally, one of the troubles with some of the local testing sites is not only the lack of capacity to test, but the longer turnaround time for results. From a public health perspective, the benefit that contact tracing and isolating cases is greater when results can be determined faster. Equipping the department to accomplish that quicker public health follow-up is key to our response. We are very excited to bring this to our community and our COVID-19 response,” continued Lahey.