Courtesy Image An illustration of the coronavirus provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ALPENA — While the virus has hit other parts of Michigan harder, it’s taken a greater toll in Northeast Michigan, a News analysis of state data shows.

Two years after the first Northeast Michiganders contracted COVID-19 on April 6, 2020, the virus has infected roughly 8,500 Northeast Michiganders and killed nearly 300.

That’s confirmed cases only. If you add in probable infections — those exposed to a confirmed infected person and showing symptoms but not tested, themselves, such as family members of infected people — the tally tops 11,000 Northeast Michiganders infected in the last two years.

On a per-capita basis, the number of infections here hasn’t been as bad as places like Ionia, Macomb, and Kent counties.

But, with an older population more susceptible to the worst effects of the virus, Northeast Michigan’s mortality rate has been worse than most of the state.

Below is a look at how Northeast Michigan’s COVID-19 data stacks up after two years of the pandemic.

The chart below shows the number of newly infected Northeast Michiganders reported by local health departments each week. NOTE: The health departments have occasionally adjusted numbers downward as data is reviewed, meaning new cases sometimes show as a negative number. The story continues below the graphic.

DEATHS

As of Friday, public health officials had recorded 464 coronavirus-related deaths per 100,000 residents across Northeast Michigan. If you treat Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties as one county, that’s the 14th-most among the state’s 83 counties and Detroit, which is treated as its own county in state data.

The per-capita death rate is higher than the actual number of deaths because Northeast Michigan has fewer than 100,000 residents.

Alcona County alone, with a mortality rate of 618 deaths per 100,000 residents, had the second-highest death rate in the state.

Across Michigan, the virus has been deadliest in the western Upper Peninsula’s Iron County, which posted a mortality rate of 639 deaths per 100,000 residents. The virus has been least deadly in Alger County, in the central U.P., which reported a rate of 88 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Statewide, public health officials recorded a mortality rate of 316 deaths per 100,000 residents.

The chart below shows the number of Northeast Michiganders 5 and older fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The story continues below the graphic.

INFECTIONS

While Northeast Michigan once ranked among the hardest-hit regions in the state, later waves of the virus apparently didn’t hit the region as hard as elsewhere.

If treated as one county, Northeast Michigan’s infection rate after two years would rank 70th among the state’s 83 counties plus Detroit.

Combined, residents of Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties have been infected at a rate of 13,902 infections per 100,000 residents. That equals about 14% of the population infected, though some residents may have been infected multiple times, so that’s not an exact figure.

The infection rate is larger than the actual number of infections because Northeast Michigan has fewer than 100,000 residents.

The most-infected county in the state was Ionia County in Mid-Michigan, with a rate of 24,495 infections per 100,000 residents, equal to about 24.5% of its population. The least-infected was Chippewa County in the eastern Upper Peninsula, with a rate of 9,018 infections per 100,000 residents, equal to about 9% of its population.

Statewide, public health officials have recorded 19,231 infections per 100,000 residents, equal to about 19% of the Michigan population.

The chart below shows the number of new COVID-19-related deaths reported each week by local public health departments. The story continues below the graphic.

TESTS

The total number of infections is likely higher than reported by public health officials, as those figures only include infections reported to local public health departments and would not account for any infections confirmed by home testing not reported to the departments or for asymptomatic people who never take a test.

And Northeast Michigan has not done well at testing, according to state data.

If treated as one county, the region would rank 63rd among the state’s 83 counties plus Detroit, with a rate of 157,003 tests per 100,000 residents over the last two years.

The most-tested county was Washtenaw County, with a rate of 371,327 tests per 100,000 residents. The least-tested was Schoolcraft County, with a rate of 94,944 tests per 100,000 residents.

The chart below shows the number of COVID-19 patients admitted at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena. The story continues below the graphic.

VACCINATIONS

As of Friday, 59% of Northeast Michiganders 5 and older had received at least one full round of coronavirus vaccinations. That’s slightly better than middling, ranking 33rd among the state’s 83 counties plus Detroit.

Public health experts say vaccination is the best way to prevent serious illness from coronavirus infection and can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those experts have said a vaccination rate of 70% to 80% can help end the pandemic.

Four Michigan counties — Leelanau, Washtenaw, Oakland, and Grand Traverse — have vaccination rates above 70%, including the most-vaccinated, Leelanau, which has vaccinated 78% of its residents.

But 20 Michigan counties have vaccination rates at 50% or less, including the least-vaccinated, Cass County’s 39%.

Statewide, 60% of residents 5 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena’s two COVID-19 patients on Monday ranked low among the state’s 131 hospitals, but its 90% occupancy rate ranked 16th.

The number of COVID-19 patients across the state has fallen significantly over the past several weeks, following the end of the wave of infections from the omicron variant of the virus.

As of Monday, 53 Michigan hospitals had zero COVID-19 patients.

However, hospitals have still been jam-packed with other patients, some of whom have seen their ailments worsened because they delayed treatment during the pandemic either out of fear of the virus or because hospitals stopped non-essential treatments during the worst of the outbreaks.

Hospitals have also struggled to handle patients as they deal with short staffing.

Across the state, 480 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized on Monday, 92 of them in intensive care. Hospitals were 76% full statewide.

Three hospitals — Harper University, Lake Huron Medical Center, and MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin — were 100% full.