Send new stories and press releases to JP at news@wgrt.com.

Local News

COVID-19 Community Update Monday 4_22_2020

Michigan Moves Out of Top Five for Total Confirmed Cases of COVID-19

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 22nd at 5:30 PM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 33,966 confirmed cases; 2,813 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 301 confirmed cases; 18 deaths
  • Ontario: 12,245 confirmed cases; 659 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 150 confirmed cases; 14 deaths

The St. Clair County Health Department reports that 7% of all of hospital beds are currently being used for COVID-19 patients. 39% of all hospital beds are available. The highest number of COVID-19 cases in the county are in the city of Port Huron and in Clay and Port Huron Townships. Most of the rural townships in the county have less than 20 cases each, with the majority having less than 10. Lambton County is experiencing a similar situation, with 78% of its cases of the virus occurring in its urban areas and 22% in rural.

In a press conference today, Governor Whitmer shared data from Unacast.com that gave the state of Michigan a “B” in social distancing. She credits the aggressive measures the State and its residents have taken as the reason Michigan is no longer in the top 5 states by number of positive COVID-19 cases. Michigan just moved to number 6 below New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California. Michigan is #3 for the number of deaths related to COVID-19.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Port Huron City Residents Can Get Free Seeds to Plant a Garden

The City of Port Huron directed some of the $15,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds toward a seed giveaway program for residents. They partnered with MIgardener to create the Port Huron Sprouts program in an effort to bring self-sufficiency and food stability to our community amid the COVID-19 crisis.

MIgardener packaged 1,000 sets of easy-to-grow seeds along with instructions for new gardeners. These Family Gardening Packs include seeds for carrots, broccoli, lettuce, beets, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage and kale. MIgardener’s owners, Luke and Sindy Marion, are well-known for their backyard gardening abilities and prolific tutorials on their website and YouTube channel.

“Helping to provide long-term food stability for residents, creating new food sources, and giving families an activity to do during this challenging time is a win for everyone,” said Mayor Pauline Repp.

Residents who want to pick up a Family Gardening pack can select one from the box outside the Municipal Office Center at 100 McMoran Blvd. or email email their names and address to Sprouts@PortHuron.org

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Emergency Services Taking Steps to Protect Patients With Non-COVID Health Crises

Lake Huron Medical Center and Tri-Hospital EMS want to assure the public that it is safe to seek emergency care if they are experiencing a non-COVID-19 health crisis. In light of the current pandemic, hospital emergency rooms and EMS services are seeing a decrease in the number of patients seeking care. Some of that is related to the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, and the lack of travel-related emergencies, but some patients are delaying or dismissing medical problems because of fear of coming in contact with COVID-19 patients. Delaying treatment can result in poor outcomes, especially for those experiencing a heart attack or a stroke.

Jose Kottoor, Chief Executive Officer of Lake Huron Medical Center said, “Our Emergency Department remains open, safe and ready to serve patients and our community, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. We are well prepared to handle non-COVID emergencies as well as able to deal with an influx of potential COVID-19 cases, and are following all state, local and federal guidelines to safeguard our staff and other patients from exposure.” 

Lake Huron Medical Center emergency room instituted a pre-screening system to separate patients who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms from those with other conditions. Their triage staff routes COVID-19 patients to one area of the ER and non-COVID-19 to another. Patients are also treated by a designated team of medical personnel assigned to their area.

Ken Cummings, President and CEO of Tri-Hospial EMS, said ambulance workers have had safety practices in place to protect patients long before COVID-19 came on the scene. “Our ambulances are completely decontaminated after every run,” said Cummings. The process involves spraying every surface in the truck, removing and decontaminating stretchers and any equipment used, and letting sanitizer sit for the recommended period before it is wiped off. Cummings also said that the hospital is notified at the scene to give them a 15-20 minute prep period if a patient being treated has symptoms of COVID-19.

Cummings feels their safety practices are solid. “We have transported around 60 COVID patients since this situation began, and, so far, none of my employees have been infected with the virus, ” he said. Tri-Hospital EMS is also following the CDC recommended procedures for PPE for its staff and putting masks on patients as well.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

ADA Recommendations May Be Difficult for Dentists to Implement

On March 16, 2020, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommended that dentists close their practices and only see patients who were experiencing dental emergencies. The current restrictions are in place until April 30th. According to the ADA, the recommendation was intended “to observe social distancing, help mitigate the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, conserve essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical frontline colleagues, and avoid the need for patients requiring emergency dental treatment to go to overburdened hospital emergency departments.”

It has now been over a month since patients have had preventative dental care, and some have even delayed treatment for many dental conditions that although inconvenient and painful, were not deemed by the dentist or the patient as “worth the risk” for treatment. Now, the ADA has published interim guidelines to prepare dentists to reopen their practices, and they are suggesting the highest level of PPE for dentists and hygienists: N95 masks along with goggles or a face shield.

While dentists and hygienists recognize they are at extremely high risk from COVID-19 because of their close proximity to their patients and many aerosol-generating procedures, they are finding it hard to imagine effectively treating patients under the new recommendations.

Dr. Scott Fergsuon has been a dentist for 32 years. He is concerned that new regulations would mean an even greater disruption of service for his patients and too costly to effectively run his practice. Some of the recommendations suggested for reopening dental practices involve closing waiting rooms to patients, hiring additional staff to perform sanitization procedures, spacing out appointments, and only using every other chair or treatment room to physically distance patients.

In addition to the new requirements for PPE, Dr. Ferguson feels those measures may be financially prohibitive for many practices. “Since insurance companies only reimburse a certain amount for procedures as it is, I’m not really sure how to pay for all of this,” said Dr. Ferguson. He is also concerned about the availability of the PPE recommended for dental staff. “I haven’t even received the surgical masks I ordered in February, and we donated some of our stock to those who needed it when we closed,” he said.

Right now, the info coming from the ADA is listed as “recommendations”. Ultimately, how local dentists handle the re-opening of their practices will be subject to the laws, regulations, and rules of each state.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Lawn Care Company Taking Responsibility for Mistake that Killed Grass

In response to concern from the community, WGRT reached out to Nancy Winzer for more information about the grass situation at several Port Huron city parks. Winzer wants to assure the community that the lawn care company contracted by the city took full responsibility for the fertilization error when they became aware of it last fall, and they are cooperating with the city to repair the dead grass.

The initial report stated that the city’s insurance would be paying a claim for the repair, but Winzer clarified that the contractor’s insurance is covering the cost.

Both the City of Port Huron and the contractor are testing the soil to find a good solution to get grass growing again in those spots as soon as possible. Some of the grass that had a stronger root base survived the over-fertilization while weaker grass was more severely affected and died. The fertilizer used by the company is pet-friendly and would never be applied in amounts that would affect the nearby water. There is no danger to pets or animals walking on the dead grass.

“We understand how important these prime park areas are for our city,”said Winzer. “This company has provided the city with excellent service for years. They were forthcoming about their mistake and are cooperating fully to find a solution to the problem.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

New Website for St. Clair County Resources – Sarnia Officials Say Staying at Home is Working

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 21st at 5:25 PM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 32,967 confirmed cases; 2,700deaths
  • St. Clair County: 291 confirmed cases; 16 deaths
  • Ontario: 11,735 confirmed cases; 622 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 148 confirmed cases; 14 deaths

St. Clair County Community Services Coordinating Body (CSCB) has a new website at www.cscbinfo.org. The new CSCB website will serve as a central repository for information and links to resources available to St. Clair County residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes information about resources such as food distribution dates, utility assistance, housing resources, and unemployment assistance. The CSCB is a network of over 70 organizations, businesses and non-profits, that have collaborated for over 35 years to strengthen the community and meet the needs of St. Clair County residents.

The website was developed in partnership with The St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), St. Clair County Health Department, and St. Clair County Community Mental Health (SCCCMH), and it will be updated continually as new information becomes available.

“Having this critical and necessary life sustaining information available at your fingertips, ensures that our community is able to meet personal and family needs at a time when resources are less available.” says Justin Westmiller, Director of St. Clair County Homeland Security and Emergency Management. For those without internet access, these resources can still be reached over the phone by calling the COVID-19 Support Line at SCCCMH (noted below).

The Government of Ontario recently confirmed that physical distancing and the many public health measures in place are working to contain the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve. The City of Sarnia wants to thank all those who are following social distancing practices and staying home. However, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health believes that these emergency measures continue to be critical and does not recommend relaxing them at this time.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand