August 12, 2021
Health Department of Northwest Michigan COVID-19 Update
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the region, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan is urging residents and visitors to follow the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and arm themselves with information to make informed decisions about their health.
Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases – largely due to the Delta variant – the CDC recently changed its mask wearing and testing recommendations. The CDC now recommends:
- Anyone who is exposed as close contact, regardless of vaccination status, be tested 3-5 days after exposure. To locate testing information, visit the Michigan COVID-19 Test Finder website, or call the health department at 800-432-4121.
- All students and adults in K-12 schools wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
- All people in areas where transmission levels are substantial or high wear a mask when indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
“Vaccination is our most powerful tool, and we need to get more people vaccinated,” said Lisa Peacock said, Health Officer. “We need a high number of people vaccinated in order to drive down COVID-19 and its mutants. If this virus can find a vulnerable host, it will move from person-to-person, mutate and continue to spread,” Peacock said. “Getting vaccinated is the answer to stopping this virus and keeping our children in schools, our businesses open, and our community healthy.”
The state of Michigan has a dashboard called MI Safe Start Map which is designed to monitor the status of COVID-19 indicators across the state of Michigan. The dashboard tracks and displays the current risk level of Michigan regions and counties due to COVID-19. The goals are twofold:
- To assist public health officials in making state, regional, and county-level decisions related to COVID-19;
- To provide the general public with insight into indicators that affect these public health decisions.
The CDC has also updated their COVID-19 data tracker, providing a deeper look into cases, hospital utilization, vaccinations and more at the county level.
“These are great tools to inform the public about COVID-19 statistics in our region (labeled Traverse City Region on the MI Safe Start Map) such as rate of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and more,” Peacock noted.
The health department offers convenient COVID-19 vaccination clinics for all area residents and visitors 12 and older either by appointment ahead of time or simply walking in. Parent consent is required for minors. Anyone may call 800-432-4121 if they have questions or are not able to find a time or date that works for them and/or their child. Clinics offer client choice of Pfizer, Moderna or J&J unless otherwise noted. Upcoming clinics for walk-ins or appointments include:
Saturday, August 14
- 1-3 p.m. – Antrim County Fair Craven Park, Bellaire. Vaccine: Pfizer and J&J. Walk-ins are welcome or to schedule an appointment: Click Here
Monday, August 16
- 8:15-11:35 a.m. – Health Department of Northwest Michigan, 220 W. Garfield Ave., Charlevoix. Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna and J&J. To schedule an appointment:Click Here
Tuesday, August 17
- 1-4:30 p.m. – Health Department of Northwest Michigan, 95 Livingston Blvd., Gaylord. Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna and J&J. To schedule an appointment: Click Here
- 4-6 p.m. – CLEO Picnic at Thurston Park, 7854 E Bradford St., Central Lake. Vaccine: Pfizer and J&J. To schedule an appointment:Click Here
Wednesday, August 18
- 8:15-11:35 a.m. – Health Department of Northwest Michigan, 205 Grove St., Mancelona. Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna and J&J. To schedule an appointment: Click Here.
- 1-4:30 p.m. – Health Department of Northwest Michigan, 3434 M-119, Harbor Springs. Vaccine: Pfizer and J&J. To schedule an appointment:Click Here
The calendar on the website www.nwhealth.org lists clinics currently scheduled through September 29.
Stay up to date on the latest information in the Health Department of Northwest Michigan jurisdiction by liking and following our Facebook page and visiting our COVID-19 Data Dashboard. To locate a testing facility, visit the Michigan COVID-19 Test Finder website. To track the risk levels of COVID-19 pandemic indicators, visit the MI Safe Start Map website. For more information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the MDHHS vaccine website or the CDC vaccine website.
