News Photo by Crystal Nelson Cabin Creek barista Jackie Walchak prepares a cup of coffee on Wednesday at the business in downtown Alpena.

ALPENA — Local public health officials have reported the region’s largest one-day death toll of the coronavirus pandemic as five more Northeast Michiganders died after being infected with COVID-19.

Reported deaths today include one Alpena County resident, one Presque Isle County resident, one Montmorency County resident, and two Alcona County residents. Thirty-eight Northeast Michiganders have died since the pandemic began.

Public health officials today also reported nine newly infected Northeast Michiganders, including two Alpena County residents, four Presque Isle County residents, one Montmorency County resident, and two Alcona County residents.

That means that, as of today, 1,379 Northeast Michiganders were actively infected, meaning they’d been confirmed infected with COVID-19 but have not recovered or died, and could infect others.

That’s up from 1,375 active infections on Monday, the first time that figure has dropped since mid-October.

The interactive graphic below shows active infections in Northeast Michigan over time. Story continues below graphic.

Meanwhile, District Health Department No. 4’s nursing staff are preparing for mass vaccinations as the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in Northeast Michigan this week.

“Going forward, that’s going to be their primary responsibility,” Nursing Director Jennifer Curl told the Health Department’s board today.

Administrative Health Officer Denise Bryan said she expects Health Department employees will receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the week. Bryan said the vaccination isn’t mandatory, but is recommended.

The Health Department will begin vaccinating emergency medical service workers, starting with Cheboygan County EMS workers, on Sunday, Curl said.

Bryan said she requested 160 doses and expects more vaccinations to trickle in.

HOPE ON THE HORIZON

Statewide, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration reported progress today in the fight against the coronavirus, saying new cases continue to decline and that Michigan has seen no spike related to Thanksgiving travel.

Officials warned, though, that the case rate remains high.

The interactive chart below shows cumulative infections, recoveries and deaths in Northeast Michigan over time. Story continues below graphic.

Whitmer, a Democrat, said “hope is on the horizon” now that a vaccine is being distributed. She again urged the Republican-led Legislature to approve $100 million in relief for financially battered businesses and laid-off workers before adjourning in the coming days. Talks continue.

Since Nov. 18, a state health department order has prohibited indoor restaurant dining and closed entertainment venues to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed with infected patients. The restrictions could be extended beyond Sunday. In-person high school instruction and organized sports also are banned, while masks are required and gathering sizes are limited.

“The good news is that we are making progress. It is working,” the governor said of the order.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, said case rates, hospitalizations and positivity percentages are trending downward.

She cautioned, however, that case rates are “alarmingly high” and the percentage of tests that are positive is four times higher than it was in early September.

“Now is not the time to let our guard down,” she said.

CONTRACTORS NEEDED

As nurses transition to giving mass vaccinations, Deputy Health Officer Judy Greer said, District Health Department No. 4 would like to continue using contracted contact tracers to assist staff with investigations into who may have been exposed to the virus by an infected person.

The Health Board voted 4-to-1 to allow contractors to continue working through March 31. Board member Carl Altman, a Presque Isle commissioner, cast the dissenting vote, saying it’s “ludacris” that somebody gets paid to perform contact tracing.

Bryan said contractors are needed because of the large volume of cases, which already mean “there were investigations that did not happen,” she said.

Bryan said the Health Department will get a new tool to help with contact tracing, allowing people to self-report their information online. She estimates that would alleviate about 20% to 30% percent of the Health Department’s caseload.

Epidemiologist Devin Spivey said public health officials are seeing outbreaks related to workplaces and the holidays. Spivey said there have been six outbreaks related to hunting camps and Thanksgiving, with 27 associated cases, 12 workplace outbreaks, with 42 associated cases, and 10 outbreaks at long-term care facilities.

Altman said there have only been three deaths in Presque Isle County since March. That’s not counting the fourth reported dead today.

“You can have all kinds of numbers, but I think it’s being portrayed as something a whole lot worse than what it is,” he said.

Flip through the interactive timeline below to see how the coronavirus spread through Northeast Michigan. Story continues below the timeline.

Health Department Medical Director Josh Meyerson said the more than 1,000 infections reported in the last month have doubled the region’s cases. He said those cases and the deaths are “very real” and that one just has to talk to colleagues in the hospital.

“Look at what happened to the hospital beds in Alpena and the stress that they have been under in the entire hospital system,” he said.

He added that McLaren Northern Michigan was very happy to have its intensive care unit at only 110% capacity, because it had been at 160%.

Meyerson said those numbers represent people fighting for their lives.

“The last month has been a very difficult month for Northern Michigan,” he said.

As of Monday, 18 COVID-19 patients, two of whom were in intensive care, were hospitalized at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena, according to state data. The Alpena hospital was 36% full.

As of today, 119 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection across the state-designated, 18-county health care region that includes Alpena, Presque Isle, and Montmorency counties, according to state data.

Since the pandemic hit Michigan in mid-March, 1,772 Northeast Michiganders have been infected, according to local public health agencies. Of those, 355 have recovered and 38 have died.

Meanwhile, the state today announced the launch of a free COVID-19 check-up tool that helps users to evaluate someone’s risks of the disease. The anonymous tool is available at Michigan.CV19Checkup.org.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.