In collaboration with the Western U.P. Health Department and Emergency Operation Centers in Baraga County, Gogebic County, Houghton County, Keweenaw County and Ontonagon County, Copper Country Strong Daily Briefs will be shared each weekday through the duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

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Updates from Gogebic County

• A shipment of gowns and masks was received and distributed. 

Updates from Houghton & Keweenaw Counties

• Rumor Control: For clarification, when new cases are announced "in Houghton County" that means "in the Houghton County area," it does not mean to imply at the former Houghton County Medical Care Facility (now called Canal View). Please do not confuse the two. There are currently no cases at Canal View. Learn more about Canal View’s response to Covid-19 on their website. 
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was delivered this week to local healthcare facilities. These materials came mostly from federal and state resources, funneled through the Region 8 Health Care Coalition. Some of it was also privately donated, including the 3-D printed face shields and some face masks. In total 3,750 surgical masks, 2,150 face masks, 1,200 gloves, 1,000 face shields, 277 surgical gowns, 50 N-95 masks, and 10 3-D printed face shields were delivered to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital, Copper Country Mental Health, GreenTree of Hubbell, Lighthouse of Hancock, PortagePointe and UP Health System-Portage.
  Donations were coordinated by the Houghton/Keweenaw Emergency Operations Center. Any agency with PPE needs is asked to email Darian Reed, dsreed@superiorsar.org. Those looking to make donations of PPE can find a list of needs and coordinate a donation by filling out the web form on the Volunteer/Donate page of CopperCountryStrong.com.
  (Attached photo: Wendy Kangas with Canal View accepting medical supplies.)

Updates from Ontonagon County

• On Thursday, a large shipment of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) from federal and state resources, funneled through the Region 8 Health Care Coalition, arrived at the Ontonagon County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC was used as a central distribution hub for six other counties in the U.P. All PPE was distributed accordingly to those counties as they are designated for delivery to health care facilities. All PPE should be delivered within the next 48 hours. 
• Today, the Ontonagon County EOC delivered PPE supplies to the Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital and Sonco Ambulance Service Inc. consisting of Face shields, surgical masks, N95 masks and surgical gowns. 

News Beat

• L’Anse company machining ventilator parts, via L’Anse Sentinel
• Ironwood, Hurley police departments helping local food banks, pantries, via TV6
• Eat and shop smart during the pandemic, via Ironwood Daily Globe
• Michigan Tech begins testing patient samples for COVID-19, via TV6
• State’s COVID-19 Page To Correct Error, via Keweenaw Report

If you have an update you would like included in this daily brief, please contact the appropriate county or the health department. Contact information can be found at coppercountrystrong.com/contact. 

An archive of updates can be found at coppercountrystrong.com. The community is invited to view that site and subscribe for email alerts when a new brief is posted. Links will also be shared on the Copper Country Strong Facebook and Twitter pages.