Calhoun County continues to set its record number for COVID-19 infections
Calhoun County continues to experience record levels of COVID-19 infections in the community, as public health officials are warning of further disruptions caused by the omicron variant surge.
On Wednesday, Calhoun County reported 345 positive cases over 24 hours, the most ever reported in a single day in the county.
"I want everybody to understand that this is probably going to be for a couple more weeks," said Calhoun County Public Health Officer Eric Pessell. "If this follows what appears has happened in Europe, the U.K. and South Africa and maybe what we're seeing out east right now, we can expect a precipitous fall sometime at the end of this month or early February and might see things adjusted to more of a norm."
In the meantime, Pessell said, "Everybody needs to understand there will be disruption in our lives. There might be our favorite restaurant that we want to go eat at, they don't have enough people to stay open because they are sick. Or it could be another business, maybe a bank branch, a school or daycare. Expect more of that over the next couple weeks but we will get through this."
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Since the pandemic began, Calhoun County has recorded 24,729 cumulative confirmed cases and 4,220 probable cases of COVID-19, with 474 confirmed deaths related to the virus. The current test positivity rate is 34.6%, and doesn't factor in the results of at-home rapid tests, which aren't reported to the county.
While omicron is more infectious than previous variants of the virus, it appears to produce less severe symptoms than its predecessors. However, it's not clear how mild it is in people who are unvaccinated and have never been infected.
Currently, 42 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19 between Bronson Battle Creek and Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall.
Dr. William Nettleton, medical director for the Calhoun County Public Health Department, stressed the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a well-fitting mask, avoiding large gatherings — particularly ones held indoors or in poorly ventilated area — and testing.
"More testing helps us reduce spread," he said. "It informs folks to isolate if they are infected and to quarantine if they are exposed. The sooner we know that you are infected with COVID-19, the sooner your doctor can get you into treatment."
On Wednesday, the federal government officially launched the site COVIDtests.gov, where four free at-home tests can be ordered through the U.S. Postal Service.
The White House additionally announced it will begin shipping 400 million free non-surgical N95 face masks to distribution sites this week. The program is expected to be fully up and running by early February.
Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Calhoun County continues to set its record number of COVID-19 infections
