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U.P. health district says COVID-19 cases climbing sharply

MT. PLEASANT, MI (MPRN)-- A health department in the Upper Peninsula says it’s seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases.

The LMAS health district covers Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft counties. The district doesn’t have any intensive care beds, so some sick patients have to wait for care.

Spokesperson Kerry Ott says earlier in the pandemic, people responded to requests to wear masks and avoid indoor gatherings. Now, she says, she’s having trouble convincing people to show care for anyone beyond themselves.

“We understand COVID fatigue. We understand the thought that this is taking freedom away from people, but if we’re really going to embrace the rights we have in this nation, we have to embrace the responsibilities that go along with it.”

The health department says its COVID-19 cases have gone from 12 in July to more than 200 in August, and more than 300 in just the first half of September.

Ott says without any ICUs locally, hospitals in her district have to send patients out-of-state for lifesaving care.

Brett Dahlberg