Joint Information Center
Tuesday, December 8
As of 9:30 a.m on Tuesday, Dec. 8, Calhoun County has a cumulative total of 6,003 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD), with a total of 133 deaths attributed to the virus. This information is updated once daily, Monday through Friday, at www.calhouncountymi.gov.

While Calhoun exceeds 6,000 total cases, the public is urged to continue following public health protocols, as issued by MDHHS and extended this week. The MDHHS epidemic order, Pause to Save Lives, is the best solution to curbing the ongoing surge of cases statewide. Evidence shows that the greatest level of transmission occurs when people from multiple households are in an enclosed space without masks, therefore dining-in has been prohibited as long as this order is ongoing, at least through Dec. 20.

To learn more about the MDHHS epidemic orders, visit michigan.gov/coronavirus.

Yesterday, a press release was sent to the media and local businesses from the Public Health Department regarding the extension of this order, insisting that businesses should understand this order as law and action will be taken by the Public Health Department if these measures are not taken to protect the safety of our community.

While Calhoun County Health Officer Eric Pessell acknowledges the stress these restrictions place on local businesses and restaurants, and the sacrifices it requires of every individual, he insists that following these protocols are critical for the stability of our healthcare system.

"We have come so far trying to defeat this virus, and we still have work to do," said Pessell. "I urge all Calhoun County residents to help support our restaurants by ordering take out, delivery or curb side pickup when offered. We must all work together to knock this virus down and assure we have continued access to our hospitals."
Changes in Reported Data
Starting this week, the Calhoun County Public Health Department will no longer report on the number of individuals who have been released from isolation and quarantine orders in relation to COVID-19 disease. Due to increased case counts and as reported in a previous press release, CCPHD is using State assistance to complete case investigations and contact tracing, and therefore, can no longer accurately track how many individuals have been officially released from isolation or quarantine. The website will continue to be updated daily Monday-Friday with the total positive COVID-19 cases, total deaths in Calhoun County, and current hospitalizations, which tracks the number of COVID-19 positive individuals in the two Calhoun hospitals that accept COVID patients. This information can be found at, calhouncountymi.gov/alert_detail.php. A link to cumulative county COVID-19 data can be found on this page, which is updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

While cumulative hospitalizations will continue to be updated Monday-Friday on the Calhoun County alert page, please note that this metric is complicated. Hospitalization status is a data variable which is collected at the time of interview of each case. The limitations to this variable include: missing data if we are unable to make contact with an individual and case's potentially becoming hospitalized after the interview is completed since we are no longer able to follow cases throughout the duration of their isolation period. Due to these limitations, it is likely that our cumulative hospitalization variable is slightly lower than the actual count.


Changes in Quarantine Recommendations
The Calhoun County Public Health Department announces the number of COVID-19 quarantine days will be reduced, in some cases, per recommendations from CDC and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). On Wednesday, December 2, CDC presented scientific findings describing options to reduce the required number of quarantine days for individuals with known exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case. Based on the evaluation of the CDC findings, MDHHS updated guidance to specify that the post COVID-19 exposure quarantine period for Michigan residents can be modified in specific situations.

While the standard 14-day quarantine period remains, individuals have an opportunity to reduce to 10 days provided:

  • The individual does not develop any symptoms or clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection during daily symptom monitoring for the 10 days after the last exposure; and,
  • Daily symptom monitoring continues through day 14 after the last exposure.
  • It should be noted that the Public Health Department may advise 14 day quarantine in particular scenarios.

The Health Department will not be reaching out to existing close contacts to change their quarantine time from 14 to 10 days.



Live Joint Information Center Briefing Tomorrow
The Calhoun County Joint Operations Center will hold a live briefing tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. It will be live-streamed on the City of Battle Creek's Facebook page. Initial information about the vaccine process will be provided, as well as updates from the City of Battle Creek and local business community. The recording will be available after the presentation, as well.
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For updates from Calhoun County, about County operations and COVID-19 in Calhoun County, visit the County website, calhouncountymi.gov.

For updates from the City of Battle Creek, please visit battlecreekmi.gov/coronavirus.

The State’s COVID-19 Hotline is available for anyone who has questions or concerns related to the virus. The hotline is open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 1-888-535-6136. For state COVID-19 information, visit michigan.gov/coronavirus.
For information, contact
Lucy Blair, Calhoun County Communications Manager

Jessica Vanderkolk, City of Battle Creek Communications Manager