By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


Despite three additional deaths from COVID-19 over the weekend in Livingston County, health officials say the rate of new infections has generally been trending lower.

Data from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services indicates that there are now 14 confirmed fatalities related to the novel coronavirus in Livingston County, up from 11 on Friday. Two individuals passed away on Saturday; an elderly female with underlying health conditions and an elderly male with underlying health conditions. Prior to that, on the 23rd, an elderly male with underlying health conditions passed away.

There are also 319 confirmed cases of the disease locally, among 38,210 confirmed cases and 3,407 deaths statewide. But speaking Friday during an online session hosted by State Rep. Hank Vaupel, Dianne McCormick, the head of the Livingston County Department of Public Health, said the infection rate had actually been trending downward with the number of new weekly which peaked March 28th, when there were more than 80 new cases. That is now down to less than 30 new cases per week.

McCormick says much of their efforts have been focused on contact tracing, which involves following up with residents who have tested positive and then those who they’ve been in contact with to better help slow the spread of the virus. She says the health department has had to ramp up from what had been a Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm operation to essentially working seven days a week. She credited the county’s Medical Reserve Corps with making that possible.

However, McCormick says as the state begins to reopen businesses and allow more public activity, there is the danger that the infection rate could again begin to increase, something they definitely want to avoid.