janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com
IRON MOUNTAIN Dickinson County Healthcare System reported Thursday the hospital’s COVID-19 wing is empty, reflecting at least a temporary drop in the number of positive cases.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that type of census,” said Sue Hadley, director of nursing, during a hospital board Zoom meeting. No coronavirus patients were in intensive care as well, she said.
As of Wednesday, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department has reported 67 COVID-19 deaths in Dickinson County, mostly from mid-October through December. Iron County has had 39 deaths to date, including five in the past two weeks.
janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com
IRON MOUNTAIN Dickinson County adopted a resolution Monday protesting “undue burdens” placed on businesses as a result of Michigan’s pandemic restrictions.
The board debated the topic during a Zoom meeting that featured a weak audio feed for some participants. The resolution was a late addition to the agenda and no copy was provided to The Daily News before the meeting or within hours after adjournment.
The action appears similar to a measure approved earlier this month in Delta County, declaring it a sanctuary county for businesses affected by COVID-19 shutdowns.
Likewise, the Dickinson board said it would not single out or harm any business owner that opens an establishment while taking responsible precautions.
janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com JOAN DECLARK, LEFT, a registered nurse at Dickinson County Memorial Hospital, administers the hospitalâs first COVID-19 vaccine to Pamela Faccio of Norway, dayshift charge nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. Faccio volunteered to become the first person on staff to receive the vaccine. More than 30 people were vaccinated Dec. 17 for the first priority phase. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo) The first COVID-19 vaccination is drawn up Thursday at Dickinson County Memorial Hospital in Iron Mountain. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photos)
JOAN DECLARK, LEFT, a registered nurse at Dickinson County Memorial Hospital, administers the hospitalâs first COVID-19 vaccine to Pamela Faccio of Norway, dayshift charge nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. Faccio volunteered to become the first person on staff to receive the vaccine. More than 30 people were vaccinated Dec. 17 for the first priority phase. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News pho