COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The staggering daily numbers of COVID-19 cases continued on Wednesday as the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency reported 60 new Branch County cases bringing the county’s total number of cases up to 1,215 since the pandemic began eight months ago.
There have now been 17 COVID-19 related deaths in Branch County including six so far in the month of November.
The surge in Branch County cases started around the first of October. On that day, there had been a total of 600 cases reported since the start of the pandemic. But that number has doubled in the last six weeks.
Between October 12 and Wednesday, there have been 24 days in which the number of new Branch County COVID-19 cases has gotten into double digits.
It’s all part of a third surge of the virus which has affected most of the country. The State of Michigan reported over 6,000 new cases on Wednesday and 42 additional deaths. Over a quarter million Michigan residents have been sickened by the virus while over 7,700 deaths have been reported.
Health experts fear the next four months will be the darkest days of the pandemic with hospitals near capacity and more people dying from the virus.
It’s also starting to look like a less than joyous holiday season as large family gatherings are being discouraged by health officials. They are asking people to celebrate the season with only household members.
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