COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency received notification Thursday of the death of a Hillsdale County resident from COVID-19. It’s the 10th death in Hillsdale County from the virus.
The C.H.A. says the number of positive cases in the tri-county jurisdiction as of 3:00 p.m. Thursday includes 22 cases in St. Joseph County, 84 cases in Hillsdale County and 31 cases in Branch County as there was one additional Branch County case reported on Thursday.
The Michigan Department of Corrections reported Thursday night that out of 110 Lakeland Correcitonal Facility prisoners who have tested for COVID-19, 93 were positive, 16 were negative and one test result was pending. A total of 22 Lakeland staff members have also tested positive for coronavirus.
The C.H.A. is also reporting it is now possible for an individual with mild symptoms to get tested for COVID-19. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website now has a tool for finding the testing facility closest to your home.
In addition, more testing sites are coming on-line. In the tri-county area, Hillsdale Hospital, Promedica Coldwater Regional Hospital, Sturgis Hospital and Three Rivers Health are providing testing as well as the federally qualified health center in Centreville, Covered Bridge Healthcare and some area providers.
As of Thursday at 3:00 p.m., the state’s official COVID-19 tracking website reports that 29,263 individuals have tested positive for the acute respiratory illness in Michigan. That includes 1,204 new cases reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, 172 additional deaths were reported in Michigan on Thursday which brought the state’s death toll during the pandemic to 2,093.


