Ottawa County sees 19% decrease in new COVID-19 cases amid fall surge

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GRAND HAVEN, MI -- Ottawa County saw a 19% decrease last week in the amount of daily new COVID-19 cases.

Between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, Ottawa County health officials reported 784 new cases of COVID-19, compared to the 968 new cases reported the week prior.

The decline follows statewide and national trends of decreasing new cases in recent days.

Since the end of July, new cases in Ottawa County have been on the increase after a lull in June and July. The daily number of new cases are still below the surges seen in November 2020 and April 2021.

Ottawa County’s COVID-19 data dashboard can be found at this link.

Ottawa County reports its vaccination progress is slightly ahead of the state, in terms of the percentage of those age 12 and older who are completely vaccinated.

Of the county’s 246,681 residents 12 and older, 151,308 of them, or 61.3%, are completely vaccinated, according to county health data as of Oct. 19. The goal is 70%.

Michigan state health officials, as of Oct. 23, reported that about 59% of all residents 12 and older have been completely vaccinated.

State data also shows 65.46% of eligible residents in Ottawa County have received at least one vaccination dose.

Here is a breakdown by age group of Ottawa County residents who have gotten one or more shots as well as those who are fully immunized, according to state data from Saturday, Oct. 23.

  • 75 and older: 86.3% initiated; 82% completed.
  • 65 to 74: 90.3% initiated; 85.7% completed.
  • 50 to 64: 75.2% initiated; 71.1% completed.
  • 40 to 49: 66.5% initiated; 62.9% completed.
  • 30 to 39: 62.8% initiated; 58.9% completed.
  • 20 to 29: 48.1% initiated; 44.2% completed.
  • 16 to 19: 45.4% initiated; 42% completed.
  • 12 to 15: 45.9% initiated; 41.9% completed.

There have been a total of 493 COVID-19 deaths in Ottawa County, with 438 of them being confirmed case deaths and another 55 being labeled probable case deaths. The average age of those who have died is 78.

Between Oct. 19-22, COVID-19 cases accounted for 10% of ICU bed patients across the county. The highest percentage between Oct. 4-22 was 38%, which occurred Oct. 5 through Oct. 7.

From Oct. 4-22, COVID-19 patients have accounted for between 9% and 16% of all hospital inpatient bed occupancy.

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