10/08/2020- In-line with statewide figures, Marinette County continues to see exponential growth of coronavirus activity and it has health officials on high alert. Public Health Nurse Molly Bonjean provided an update to the Health and Human Services Board Wednesday saying 75% of hospital beds in Northeast Wisconsin are occupied. The rapidly rising numbers locally and across Wisconsin have prompted the State to establish a field hospital at the state fairgrounds in Milwaukee to try to alleviate some of that pressure.

Marinette County is currently averaging 30 or more new cases each day and that has the local Public Health Department now placing the responsibility of contact tracing on those individuals who test positive for COVID-19. Bonjean says it’s not a perfect solution, but it was a necessary one when the level of COVID activity had their contact tracing efforts running days behind.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Marinette County had 1167 positive cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths on record.