First confirmed COVID-19 patient confirmed in Chippewa County

On April 17, 2020, Chippewa County Health Department (CCHD) was notified a Chippewa County resident has tested positive for COVID-19. The identified person is an adult female. The individual has been under home isolation in accordance with current guidelines. Additional information about the individual will not be disclosed. CCHD will notify people who have been identified as close contacts. The identified contacts will be assessed for symptoms and monitored appropriately.

People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to safely recover at home. Seek medical care if your symptoms worsen by calling ahead to your provider. COVID-19 symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

Based upon the increase in COVID-19 cases statewide, residents should assume the virus is present when they are in public places and be taking all recommended prevention measures. CCHD strongly urges our community to continue following “Stay Home, Stay Safe” orders, social distancing guidelines, wearing face coverings as appropriate, and remaining at home as much as possible.

CCHD would also like to clarify the two previously reported Chippewa County cases and death. Those previous cases were removed from Chippewa County after the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services recategorized reported cases. When we reported each case, we were doing so with the information available at the time. As this pandemic evolves, changes are being made to the reporting system regularly.

For Chippewa County updates, follow CCHD at www.chippewahd.com or on Facebook @chippewacountyhealth. The State of Michigan provides COVID-19 case updates after 3:00 p.m. daily at Michigan.gov/coronavirus.

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