Van Buren County student dies of COVID-19

The Van Buren Cass County Health Department has confirmed the COVID-19 associated death of a student in Van Buren County.

That brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Van Buren and Cass counties to 234.

The department says they are seeing younger people hospitalized and they are getting sicker than in previous surges. There have been a total of 192 COVID-19 cases in children 0-19 in Van Buren and Cass counties.

The health department stressed the importance of mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19: get vaccinated, wear masks in public settings, maintain 3-6 feet or more of distance between others, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home when sick.

“Our sympathy goes out to all families who have been affected by this deadly virus. As a community we all want this pandemic to be over, to know our families are safe, and to have the restrictions on our social activities lifted. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. The Delta variant has proven to be more contagious and more serious than previous variants. We have seen a 25-fold increase since one week after school ended on June 25, 2021 until now. Our community transmission data has elevated us to the highest risk category. We have hope in the form of safe and effective vaccines, but only if many more of us who are eligible and able actually take them and only if we slow the spread of this illness through masking, distancing, and quarantine and isolation. We encourage everyone to actively protect themselves and others by following proven mitigation strategies; it will take a cooperative effort from our whole community to effectively mitigate the threat of this virus,” says Dr. Larry Wile, Medical Director, Van Buren/Cass District Health Department.

“The death of a local student is a tragic reminder that the numbers we report every week are also our children, friends and neighbors, and that no one is immune to the virus’ impact. The best ways to protect ourselves, our loved ones and young children who are not eligible to get the vaccine is to get vaccinated ourselves and wear a mask; small and simple tools that make a great impact,” says Danielle Persky, Health Officer, Van Buren/Cass District Health Department.

Everyone age 12 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan. Click here to find a location to get vaccinated.

To locate a test site, visit: Michigan.gov/coronavirus or https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-99891_99912---,00.html