Courtesy Image An illustration of the coronavirus provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ALPENA — Two Presque Isle County residents have died after being infected with COVID-19, local public health officials announced today.

Monday’s update was the area’s first since Dec. 24. Like other parts of the state, the spread of the virus seems to be on a downward trajectory, but is still contributing to deaths.

Public health officials on Monday reported 46 newly infected Northeast Michiganders, including 20 Alpena County residents, nine Presque Isle County residents, 13 Montmorency County residents, and four Alcona County residents, since Wednesday.

That means that, as of Monday, 1,561 Northeast Michiganders were actively infected, meaning they’d been confirmed infected with COVID-19 but have not recovered or died, and could infect others.

As of Monday, 12 COVID-19 patients, three of whom were in intensive care, were hospitalized at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena, according to state data. The Alpena hospital was 30% full.

As of Monday, 70 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, Northeast Michiganders have been infected, according to local public health agencies. Of those, 369 have recovered and 47 have died.

The last death was reported on Dec.24.