By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


More than two dozen residents and/or staff members at Livingston County nursing homes and long-term care facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus, with one death also reported.

According to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there are 29 new cases reported; 20 among staff members and nine among residents. There was also one new death reported; a resident at WellBridge of Pinckney. That was the 30th death overall death at a Livingston County long-term care facility since the pandemic began in mid-March, more than half of the county’s total COVID-19 deaths, which currently stands at 57.

November was the deadliest month since April in Livingston County, with 16 deaths reported. 18 residents died in April.

Meanwhile, another local school was added to the state’s outbreak list this week. On Monday, Creekside Elementary School in Hartland was added to the list with two cases, one a staff member and the other a student. The only other local school on the list is Southwest Elementary in Howell, which was added on December 7th with two staff members testing positive.

An outbreak is defined as two or more COVID-19 cases who may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households. Outbreaks are removed from the list when there are no new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified after 28 days have passed since the last known school exposure from a case.